Lord Shodaime, the Red Fox
by Uzuken
Summary: Read as Naruto Uzumaki changes his destiny from the neglected son and paves his own path.
1. Chapter 1

Minato Namikaze awoke to bright lights and the odour of disinfectant as his senses started to come back to him. Ignoring his pounding headache and sore body, he tried to remember how he got here, but it was as if his mind was in a haze. When he tried to get up, he was met with a stern hand on his chest and heard someone say, "Easy there brat, you're still in no condition to get up". Squinting to make out anything in the bright room, he realized who is in front of him.

"Tsunade? Tsunade is that you? Where am I? Why am I in the hospital? And when did you start wearing white?"

"Hold on there. We'll answer all your questions. Just take it easy there, OK?" Tsunade exclaimed through hushed whispers.

Nodding in acceptance, Minato tried to get a better view of his surroundings. He noticed Jiraiya sitting in a small, blue chair off in the corner while snoozing. In the other corner of the room, he noticed a squad of ANBU led by a dog-masked operative with spiky white hair. "OK, Tsunade, I want you to start from the beginning and explain to me what is going on."

"Do you remember anything that happened two nights ago?" Tsunade asked.

"I think I remember some things? Wait… Oh wait." As everything came back to him, he's started shaking profusely, he shouted "KUSHINA! Where's Kushina! And where are my sons?!"

Minato's desperate screams awoke Jiraiya who shouted, "Don't go. I love your curves too!" Lucky for him, Tsunade was too concerned about Minato to serve him one of her legendary punches so Jiraiya, seeing his prized student awake and shaking worriedly, got up to comfort him. "Look, Kushina and your kids are fine. I just checked on them before I dozed off. Look at you, you're the Hokage and you're shaking like a baby. Get a hold of yourself and start thinking clearly," Jiraiya said.

Minato felt a flood of relief knowing that his wife and newborn sons were alright. However, he understood that his sensei was right. He couldn't just act like a bed-ridden, relief-stricken father. He had a village to lead, a village that no doubt took heavy damage and many losses to the fox demon. But first thing first, he had to see his family. Steeling his resolve, he said, "Let me see my wife and children."

Sighing, Tsunade said "Come with us," as everyone left the room and crossed the hallway to reach the next room in the hospital. Minato's heart almost broke seeing Kushina wrapped in bandages with tubes wrapped around her entire body. If it wasn't for the clumps of bright, red hair standing out from the bandages, he would never have recognized her. Quickly recomposing himself, he asked meekly, "When do you think she'll wake up?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but she suffered severe brain damage and may never come out of her coma. I'm going to do everything I can, but at this stage, it's just the waiting game" Tsunade replied.

Jiraiya put a hand on his teary-eyed student and told him, "There, there Minato. You have to be strong for your two sons and the village. You're a father and the Hokage. Everyone is looking up to you for leadership".

"Your right. I can't get emotional right now. Where are my kids" he exclaimed shakily.

Leading him to the two cribs in the far right corner of the room, Tsunade said "They're two beauties aren't they?"

Looking at the first infant, Minato was proud to see many of his own traits were passed down, including his sun-kissed blonde hair and deep, blue eyes. The round face was decidedly his mother's he said to himself. His eyes, however, bulged slightly seeing his other child and what could only be described as an unimaginable transformation. Minato still remembered the night when his wife gave birth to twins, identical twins. Looking at his second child, Minato couldn't imagine they looked identical only a few nights ago. The child had deep, dark red hair color that he couldn't have gotten from his mother, who had a bright red color that mirrored a fresh-picked tomato in many ways. He also had blood red eyes that matched his hair color. But what horrified Minato the most were those three whisker marks that only added to the child's devilish appearance.

"W-What happened… they were both supposed to get a portion of the fox's power. How did one of them turn out like that?" he asked, not being able to hide his horrified demeanor.

Jiraiya went up to explain. "You remember that after the Sandaime knocked you out, he used the Dead Demon Summoning Seal?" Seeing his student nodding, Jiraiya continued saying, "Well, we still don't have a full understanding of the seal. From what we know, it's a complex Uzumaki seal that summons the Shinigami to seal the power and chakra of the the Nine-tailed fox into one of your sons, Menma, while sealing the consciousness of the fox into your other son, Naruto."

Remembering the Third's sacrifice almost made Minato turn to depression, but he was still many questions about Naruto's state. "So we don't know what this sealing does anymore since my wife is in a coma, but we know that after the consciousness of the Demon Fox was sealed into Naruto, he underwent these drastic changes?" Minato said.

"That's about the gist of it" Jiraiya answered.

Hearing that made Minato's heart sink. "Then how do we know this child is really son. There have been cases of a bijuu taking over a human vessel after destroying the child's consciousness, especially in Suna" Minato asked.

"To tell you the truth, we don't know. However, we do know the seals that Suna uses are very weak and those seals failing can be attributed to Suna's lack of seal masters" Jiraiya answered.

Strengthening his resolve to do whatever is necessary for his family and the village, Minato ordered the ANBU operative Inu to get him Inoichi immediately.

Leaving in shunshin of leaves, Inu reentered promptly with Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the intelligence department and head of the Yamanaka Clan. Kneeling, Inoichi asked, "what can I do for you, Hokage-sama?"

"At ease, Inoichi. I need to enter the mind of my son Naruto. After having sealed the consciousness of the Kyuubi inside him, he has undergone some worrying changes. I need you to see if his mind is still intact and if it is separate from the bijuu's. We'll pull you out if we see it's too much for you."

"Hai, hokage-sama" Inoichi said before going to the crib. Making the necessary hand signs, Inoichi entered Naruto's mindscape. However, before he could go far enough into the mindscape, he was grabbed by a large chakra claw and looking into the demonic, fiery eyes of the hate-filled demon, he almost puked. Before the monster could rip him apart, he was pulled out by a concerned Minato.

"What happened in there, Inoichi. You were shivering and sweating profusely, so we had to pull you out." Minato said.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, as soon as I entered I was met with the Kyuubi" Inoichi said.

"So is my son in there or not?" asked Minato.

"I don't know, Hokage-sama. Although, even he is in there, the Kyuubi likely dominates his mind considering it has free movement within his mindscape" Inoichi replied.

Minato, at this point, didn't know what to do. He knew he should to act like a Kage and think about his village above all else, which likely meant killing his son. Giving a 1000-year old bijuu of destruction, even one that has been seriously weakened, time to plot for freedom is not a good idea. However, he couldn't do that if there was a chance his son could still be in there. "What do you think I should do, Inoichi" asked an exacerbated Minato.

"I think we should wait a period of time to observe him. If he shows normal physiological and psychological development, then we don't have to terminate him."

"Good thinking, Inoichi" Minato said, as he pondered that option. He knew that option made the most sense; however, he couldn't have him live in the Namikaze compound. He didn't want to endanger the lives his of wife, his younger cousin Yuna, or his other son, Menma. Wait, he could have him raised in the orphanage and proclaim him an orphan.

"OK, Inu I want you take Naruto to the orphanage and discreetly add him to the orphans section. Make sure to skew his blood work so that it shows that he isn't related to anyone. And then, I want a full ANBU detail watching him at all times. If he shows evidence of being taken over by the Kyuubi, I want him captured. If that is not possible, I want you terminate him"

"Hai, Hokage-sama" Inu said as he shunshined in a swirl of leaves to complete his task.

Jiraiya stepped forward to ask, "What are you going to do about the rumours that there is a new Jinchuuriki. It won't take people long to suspect your sons, considering most Jinchuuriki are related to the current or previous rulers and the fact that Kushina was pregnant wasn't exactly a secret. You know how Jinchuuriki are treated."

Minato thought about this problem. He didn't Menma or Naruto to grow up with that kind of stigma, but there would be no other way to explain the prompt defeat of the Kyuubi or Sandaime's sacrifice. If he told everyone that Menma was a jinchuuriki, it would also hurt Yuna's reputation and he couldn't have that, especially since she was just made a chunin. No, he had to act like a hokage and that meant doing things for his family and the village that he might not want to do. He would have to proclaim Naruto the only Jinchuuriki. He was already sacrificed to the bijuu's consciousness and he would have to endure one more sacrifice for the sake of his family and the village. If, after all that, he grew up to be a normal boy, he would welcome him back to the family.

"I've made my decision. Only Naruto is to be known as the Jinchuuriki. Menma's status is a double-S-rank secret only known to those in this room. Not even of the council is to know about this" Minato said seriously. He then added, "Tenzo, I want you to call a council meeting. I need to know about the status of the village, what can be done, and what our enemies are doing."

"Hai, Hokage-sama" Tenzo said as he left in a swirl of leaves.

"Jiraiya, I want you take young Menma to the Namikaze Compound. I want Yuna to take care of him while I deal with village matters for a while. I also want an ANBU team stationed near her and my son at all times. No doubt, Iwa and others are going to try something after hearing about the birth of an heir. After doing that, I want you to come to the council meeting" Minato said.

"You got it" Jiraiya said as he left to complete his tasks.

"Tsunade, I know I promised you a break after a successful birth. But could you stay for a while to look after my wife. If she doesn't wake up after a while, you can go." Minato asked sincerely.

"Kushina was like a daughter to me. I'll look after her" Tsunade declared.

"Well, if that takes care of that, then I've got a council meeting to attend" Minato said with a hint of dread. Dealing with stuck-up council members wasn't something you could say he enjoyed.

Five Years Later

For the first time in a long time, Minato was feeling content with his life. Menma was turning five and he was a little ball of energy. As though he had unbelievable amount of energy, he would run away from Yuna and his caretakers for hours on end. Sometimes, even Minato was hard pressed to find him. Then, there was the constant and loud proclamations that he was going to be the Fifth Hokage. Certainly, Kakashi's encouragements didn't help. But the only thing Minato could complain about is his fetish for all things orange. Minato doesn't know where he got the obsession with the color orange, but Minato swore to himself that when he finds the person who introduced his son to the color, they would find themselves in the lower levels of the interrogation department. If the bright orange jumpsuit was not enough, he had to paint his room orange as well as the entire first floor of the Namikaze Compound. Minato had to promise the servants overtime pay just to get rid of all that orange paint. Then there were the constant pranks that Menma was always pulling. The endless paperwork and angry victims that he had to deal with caused no small amount of headaches. But none of that could change the amount of love and pride he had for his son and even though he didn't have that much time to spend with him, the times that he did get to spend with him became that much more memorable.

Minato, however, still felt pain in his heart at the thought of Kushina, who is still lying in the hospital unconsciousness as she had been for the past five years. After a few months, Tsunade stopped trying to find a way to wake her up. Not that Minato could blame her. Minato had spent countless hours watching her try every treatment on Kushina, even kinjutsu, to try and get her out of her coma. However, what really surprised Minato was that it was Orochimaru that kept trying to find new ways to treat Kushina. For as long as Minato had known him, Orochimaru had been cold and calculative, not the obsessive type. Regardless, Minato was grateful because Kushina had been his first friend in the Academy and later trusted comrade. However, if Kushina were to wake up, it would complicate things. Minato had restarted his relationship with Mikoto because of Tsunade's assurances that Kushina would likely never wake up again. For although he liked Kushina well enough, Minato could never deny that he loved Mikoto from the bottom of his heart. He still remembered the first day he met her.

He was a heartbroken, lonely Academy student at the training grounds, trying to improve on his shurikenjutsu. Minato was grief-stricken, even months later, after hearing how mother and all his clansmen had died in the Second Shinobi War. This left him an orphan who had to take care his 3 year old cousin Yuna who he wasn't particularly close to before. Even after all that, he didn't give into depression and instead wholeheartedly turned to his Academy studies. It was hard since he didn't have private tutors or parents to teach him after class, and he still had to take care of toddler cousin. It was for this reason, his shurikenjutsu was average at best and he was at the Academy training grounds still practicing long after everyone left.

After missing his second in a row, he heard someone say, "You have to turn the shuriken a little to the right to factor in the wind and at such long distances you should aim a little higher instead of straight at the target."

Turning around he saw a bright girl with luminescent black hair and black eyes. Her jet black hair and eyes seemed to emphasize her pale skin. Seeing the fan crest on her tight blue shirt confirmed that she was an Uchiha. Remembering from her class, he knew she was Mikoto Uchiha, daughter of the war hero Kagami Uchiha. She was also in line to be the heir of the prestigious clan and the top Academy student. He didn't know what she wanted, but he wasn't about suck up to another "noble" clan member who had everything he didn't.

"What does the 'great' heir to the Uchiha clan want with a lowly orphan like me?" Minato asked suspiciously. "Come to tell me how great you are with shurikens like the rest of your clan?"

"Look, I just wanted to help you out, but if you don't want my help then seeya" she said as she spun around to leave.

Minato knew he needed her help, but he didn't want her to gloat about it later and he didn't want to deal with the infamous Uchiha stuck-upness. But he also knew that progress completion checks were coming up and that they might be watched by elite jounin or even the Sannin. These top jounin who weren't part of any clans would choose apprentices to pass on their powerful techniques. If he wanted to have any shot of getting that kind of apprenticeship, he needed to improve his taijutsu and weapons mastery. 'I might as well try' he said to himself.

"Wait. If your willing, I could use some help" Minato asked.

"What was that? Oh, you want my help now do you? Mikoto taunted.

"Look if you don't want to help, then forget about it. I don't want to deal with this right now" he said.

"I was just teasing. Why are you always so stern? Live a little" Mikoto said as she took his kunai and shuriken to show him the correct way.

From then on, Mikoto's help allowed Minato to become one of the top students in the Academy. As Minato got to know her, he started to see Mikoto as kind, caring, and compassionate. And as the years wore on, he also started to see her as a beautiful and fierce kunoichi, who even coming from a strict clan, still knew how to have fun. Entering his late teen years, he couldn't help but fall in love. Usually being from one of the lower clans and being not very wealthy would mean that you could never marry the Uchiha heir and daughter of Kagami. However, Minato was the hero of the Third Great Shinobi War, defeating half the army of Iwa by himself. He also knew that he was likely to be appointed the next Hokage. It was for this reason that he was entering Sandaime's office to confirm when he would be appointed Hokage so that he could propose to Mikoto.

"Hiruzen, do you have a minute?" Minato asked.

Hiruzen, looking up from the countless paperwork he still had to do, saw Minato looking at him expectantly. "Sure, Kami knows I need from all this work. These achy bones just can't do what they used to" Sandaime complained.

"Ha, ha, ha. That's actually what I wanted to ask you about. When do you think I'll be getting that hat" Minato asked.

"Don't be in such a hurry, boy. This seat's isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I tell you it's like this paperwork grows every time you finish a bit" Sandaime replied.

"Trust me, I'm not in a hurry. I just want to propose to Mikoto-chan while wearing the Kage hat since she's helped me get here all this time" he answered honestly.

"Wait what! You want to marry the Uchiha heir?" Sandaime replied, mentally cursing himself for not staying on top of this kind of stuff.

"Well, yeah. I've known her for a long time and I know she's the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. She's also very loyal to the village and I know she'll help me out with my duties to the village" Minato explained.

"I don't doubt that, boy, and this marriage would help ease tensions with the Uchiha. But what about Kushina?" Sandaime asked.

"Well, I do like her, but only as a friend and a trusted comrade. But the person I truly love is Mikoto" Minato replied honestly.

"I see" Sandaime said as he took a big puff of his newest pack of smokes. "But have you considered what your marriage with Mikoto might do to her psyche? She does love you after all" Sandaime pointed out.

Minato thought about this for a second. He knew that Kushina had a crush on him ever since he saved from a group of Kumo nins and he was her only friend growing up in the Academy. "I know that she loves me, but she'll get over it eventually. And it's not like we still can't be friends" Minato replied.

"I need you to think like a Kage for a minute. She just lost her entire village and clan in an attack by three great villages. She's grieving and blames us for not being for them. She's partially correct, we did chose to delay reinforcements to shore up our northern line to not give Kumo a path to the village. Now imagine if her best friend whom she had crush on for years marries the only other person she lets her guard down with–Mikoto. In that case, she may very well lose all her bonds to the village. I want you to think about the danger of a jinchuuriki that isn't completely loyal to the village. And you know Kushina isn't one to hide her emotions. Everyone will get wind of her faltering loyalty and the council will increase their calls for to be reprogrammed in some mind-control scheme or the creation of a new jinchuuriki" Sandaime lectured.

Minato felt like the whole world crashed down on him. He couldn't let his best friend Kushina go through all that grief and pain. He also had to think of the village and ensure her loyalty. Yet, could he turn his back on the love in his heart? Could he pretend to love someone who he didn't have feelings for?

Seeing Minato faltering to come to an answer, Sandaime asked him, "Minato, do you know what a shinobi is?"

"One who works for his village and defends from all threats" Minato answered automatically.

"That is correct, but to me a shinobi is much more. A shinobi is one who endures for the sake of his/her village. A shinobi endures all manner of pain, regret, loss or more in the service of the village. I'm asking you, Minato, to endure the loss of your love for the sake of the village. You're the only one who can keep Kushina loyal. Can you do that?" Sandaime asked.

Minato strengthening his resolve promised to marry Kushina and to be a loving husband. He and Kushina had been married for two years before she became pregnant and the events of that fateful night passed. After many months of Kushina's comatose state, Minato could deny his heart no longer. He called Mikoto to his office at the top of Hokage tower.

As Mikoto entered the room, she said, "Hey, Minato. I see your enjoying all the paperwork as always. So what's up?" she asked.

Seeing Mikoto in all her dark beauty, Minato almost forgot what he wanted to say. "I just wanted to say if you wanted or had time later to catch a coffee or have something to eat" he stuttered.

Seeing where this was going, Mikoto became irate. "Look, Minato, I'm married and your a father, a relationship would be improper" she said.

"That's not it" Minato tried to protest, but Mikoto cut him off by slamming her hands on the desk and subconsciously activating her Sharingan.

"I will not be your second-rate relationship. Just because Kushina is in a coma doesn't mean you can be with whoever you please. I thought you respected me enough not to do that. Don't ever call me again unless its for official business" Mikoto yelled tiredly as she turned around to leave.

"Wait. Don't go!" Minato tried to say. "I always loved you!" Minato exclaimed.

That last statement caught her off guard. "What do you mean. You married her" Mikoto rebuffed.

"The Third made me marry Kushina to keep her loyal, but I always loved you Mikoto. Not just your beauty, but your kind and understanding personality and stern and prideful demeanor. Truth is, you're the first person I looked up to when I had no one" Minato answered truthfully.

Mikoto was taken aback by his confession. No one had ever said those words to her. Not even her husband, Fugaku, the current head of the Uchiha Clan and commander of the Uchiha Military Police. Her bastard of a father, Kagami, set her up because she had to "keep the bloodline strong and pure" while also doing her duty to keep the clan one of the largest in Konoha. Maybe she could try a new relationship and if it doesn't work out, what could happen?

"Alright. One coffee tomorrow morning. But only as friends" she said.

From that day, their relationship grew to the point where Mikoto divorced Fugaku and married Minato in a private ceremony. Now with Mikoto pregnant with his child, he couldn't help but beam with excitement, especially considering later tonight they would have Memna's birthday party attended by family and close friends. Minato could only sigh happily thinking about how his life is going on now. Even, in terms of paperwork, Minato was getting less and less. It really was a peaceful era now thanks in part to Orochimaru. When other villages heard that he was in the hospital for a couple days after the Kyuubi attack, Iwa and Taki took the opportunity to attack the Hidden Leaf. However, thanks to Orochimaru, Konoha's forces were quickly organized to repel the threat. Even though, Minato was still recovering he knew he had to lead the charge. By himself, Minato was able to take out about a quarter of the enemy forces. The key victory allowed Konoha to form the Southern Alliance, which stipulated mutual economic and military cooperation. Comprising the countries of Fire (Konoha), River (Taki), Rice, Tea, and Hot Water, the alliance became a powerful trading block that led economic policy in the Elemental Nations. Konoha was also get favorable trade deals with Iwa in exchange for not going to war with their weakened village. With its reputation cemented as the most powerful nation, Konoha went into a period of economic prosperity and peace never before seen in its history. Economic development in Fire Nation nearly doubled Konoha's size and made it the most modern city, second only to Ame. Minato never managed to stop a chuckle from escaping his lips every time he hears his new moniker the Golden Hokage for the so called Golden Period of Konoha. Yes, Minato couldn't be happier these days.

Yuna Namikaze was beaming today not only because she wouldn't have to go on anymore missions for a while, but also because she would be able to spend all afternoon with her group of friends and then go home to dinner to Menma's birthday party. She was especially excited to show everybody that she completed the Hiraishin. Minato had been giving her lessons since she became a chunin and now she would be able to showcase it to everybody. She was absolutely ecstatic. As she was walking to Anko's apartment, she couldn't help but skip excitedly, pushing her untied blonde hair up and down as she went. As she neared the apartment, she was tackled by a mess of purple hair. Noticing that it was Anko Mitarashi on top of her, she rolled over and pushed Anko to the ground while loudly proclaiming that "two can play at that game".

"Oh, so you want some more do you?" Anko teased. "Let's see you handle this" she said as she bit her thumb and made the precise hand seals yelling "Summoning Jutsu".

As three snakes appeared in a puff of smoke, Yuna was already completing the same hand signs. Right when the snakes were about to attack, a small, orange toad in samurai armour and a large sword strapped to his back appeared in a similar puff of smoke.

"Seriously, Yuna, why do you even bother. You know my snakes can beat your stinky frogs anyday" Anko taunted.

"Lets see you say that when your snakes are chopped liver" Yuna replied. "And they're toads, not frogs. Toads!" Yuna yelled.

Before they could restart their fight, Anko was tackled by Yugao Uzuki and Hana Inuzuka was in front of Yuna, stopping her from doing anything to a downed Anko.

"Seriously guys, can you spend one minute not having the same argument?" Kurenai Yuhi asked.

"I'm sorry, Kurenai, but its not my fault that Yuna won't accept the inherent superiority of the Snake summons. And also, Yuna was waaay to happy and jumpy today" Anko answered.

"She's always like that, Anko. That doesn't mean start a summons battle in the middle of the street" Yugao lectured.

"Oh common on. You have to have noticed that Yuna is jumpier than usual. That can really mean only one thing–Yuna got herself a boytoy! You have to tell us all the juicy details" Anko said while looking at Yuna expectantly.

"No, no that's not it" Yuna stuttered when everyone's attention turned to her as she turned pink.

"Then why all the joy" Hana asked?

"It's not that important" Yuna stammered.

"Someone doesn't want us to know about her first boyfriend. Don't worry, once I found out who it is, I'll let him experience things he could only dream about with you" Anko said while licking a kunai sensually.

"I told you that's not it" Yuna spluttered angrily while everyone else was laughing at her expense.

"Then just tell us what it's really about" Yugao said straightforwardly.

"Alright, but it's a village secret. I completed my own version of the Hiraishin" beamed Yuna.

"Congratulations" "It's the new Yellow Flash" "They're probably going to make you jounin now" everyone chorused, except for Anko.

"How's that a secret. Everyone knows you've been working on that for the past five years. Why don't you show us mortals 'Oh Second Coming of the Golden Hokage' " Anko teased.

"Yeah, can you show us?" Hana asked.

"OK, but let's go to training ground 44. There aren't many people there" Yuna said.

"Yippy. I'll lead the way. Destination: Forest of Death" Anko said while grinning and leading everyone to her second home.

Once they climbed over the fence to the forest, Yuna took out a pink, stylized three-pronged kunai and through it over to Anko. When the kunai passed Anko's ear, Yuna instantly transported there. Then, picking up the kunai, Yuna through it over to Kurenai who swiftly dodged it. However, not even a second later, Yuna was right behind her with a kunai to her throat.

"You're dead" Yuna said while smirking.

"Wow, fast" Kurenai exclaimed when Yuna let her go.

"All I saw was a literal yellow flash" Hana said amazed.

As everyone was commenting on Yuna's speed, Anko proclaimed "It's time to celebrate. To the bar!"

As everyone began moving out, Yuna was hesitant, saying "Wait, I have Menma's birthday party later, and I have to show everyone the results of my training. I can't get drunk."

"Oh, don't worry, we won't leave you too hammered" Anko said while putting an arm around Yuna. Anko's statement, coincidentally, didn't make Yuna feel any better.

Menma was running from yet another infuriated shopkeeper because of his latest prank, which involved lots of marshmallows and tons of pink paint. Menma couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping his lips at the thought of that panting civilian thinking he could catch a Namikaze, something even ninjas are hard pressed to do. From the history lessons his father gave him, Menma knew that the Namikaze clan always specialized in speed and speed techniques and only their bodies can handle the stress of the hiraishin. But that's actually the reason he pulled pranks so much. Those aloof villagers deserve his goofy antics for always calling him 'Namikaze-dono' or 'Golden Prince-sama'. I mean yeah the Namikaze Clan is practically royalty Fire Nation and his hair is a deep yellow color unlike the the pale yellow of most blondes, but still. Why can't anyone ever call him Menma? Why can't he have any real friends. Everyone is either scared of him or awe-struck and ask what it's like to have the strongest person on the planet for a father. Uh, it's so exacerbating. Right before Menma was about to turn a corner, he was caught up in a mess of Ninja wire.

"Alright. What did you do this time, Menma" Kakashi asked as a tick mark grew on his forehead.

"I didn't do anything, I promise Kakashi-niisan. How was I supposed to know that shopkeeper doesn't like pink marshmallows!" Menma answered credulously.

Kakashi had to suppress a chuckle hearing of Menma's latest prank. Truth is, he found them to humorous and they never failed to brighten his day, which in ANBU, can be either dull and boring like today or dangerous and stressful. "Now, now Menma. You can't keep doing these pranks. They always cause more paperwork for your father and we can't keep paying for damages. We're not as rich as people think we are" Kakashi said in a bored tone that wasn't convincing at all. Seeing Menma looking at him incredulously, he said "Menma, if you stop doing pranks for a week, I'll teach you a new jutsu."

Instantly, Menma's eyes grew wide. "Really, Kakashi-niisan. That's great! I won't do any pranks. That's a promise of a lifetime–dattebayo!" Menma exclaimed.

Sporting a chuckle, Kakashi said "Well then let's get home. It's getting late, and everyone's waiting for us" while leading Menma home.

Once they got home, Kakashi suspiciously asked Menma to open the door, something that Menma didn't missed. Ignoring his gut feeling, Menma opened the door only hear a loud "SURPRISE" while all his family members and close family friends jumped out behind out a large screen that simulated a wall. On the ceiling, the words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MENMA" were displayed prominently. Menma was caught off not just because he completely forgot that it was his birthday, but also because he was seeing his name displayed brightly in red, neon colors. Yes, these were people that saw him as Menma and not just the son of Konoha's greatest hero. In that moment, he didn't care what the village thought or what the world thought because at this moment, he truly felt as himself. Before, he knew it, he became teary eyed. Wiping the tears before they could fully form, Menma yelled "Yay, presents!"

"Happy Birthday, Menma" said Minato.

"Look at you. you've grown big and strong now" Mikoto teased.

"Still shorter than me" said an irked Sasuke. Even though, he and Menma practically grew up together, he still didn't see Menma as a true brother unlike Itachi whom Sasuke admired more than anybody.

"Your what five, now. They grow up so fast" congratulated Jiraiya.

"You're lucky you're taller than last year, brat, or I would have been annoyed that I came all the way here from across Fire Nation" said a slightly amused Tsunade.

"Oh, you're a such a party pooper, Lady Tsunade" said Shizune as she smothered Menma.

"Oh, I think you actually got cuter than when I last saw you" Shizune continued.

"I believe the child is undergoing second-stage anemia. If you continue, he is liable to pass out" Orochimaru said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I guess I got carried away" Shizune said sheepishly.

"Huh, yes. I can breath" Menma said as his face returned to its natural hue.

"Thank you, Orochi-chan!" Menma shouted loudly.

As everyone began laughing at the Snake Sannin's expense, Orochimaru became increasingly annoyed. "Listen, here brat. If I hear that one more time, I'm going to feed you to my snakes after I skewer you over a large grill and dip you into nicely-aged sake" he warned.

Everyone became quite as Menma turned pale. All the people in the room understood that Orochimaru doesn't make threats. More like delayed promises.

"Uh, okay. How about we eat some cake and open presents" Minato suggested.

Instantly, the room returned to its jovial atmosphere as everyone enjoyed each other's company.

As the party continued, Yuna and her friends entered the party in a blinding yellow flash, tripping over Menma who landed right on top of Tsunade luscious breasts. Jiraiya and Kakashi grew large nose bleeds and shouted "lucky brat's get all the luck" and they soon found themselves on the wrong side of one Tsunade's chakra powered punches as Tsunade continued to smother Menma on her vivacious chest.

Yuna then muttered "Soshy, guys. We-We're late."

"Are you drunk, Yuna?" asked Minato incredulously.

"Uh… uh, we've might have overdone it with the sake" Hana tried to explain.

"Wait, you can do the Hiraishin, now. And you can transport multiple people" Mikoto asked disbelievingly.

Everyone stood there stupefied for a moment as Yuna scratched the back of her head.

"Wow, you're so cool Yuna-niichan" said Menma with stars in his eyes.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to make you a jounin, then. Get ready for more difficult and longer assignments" Minato said seriously.

"Oh, you really know how to ruin a moment, Minato. It's like you never change. Live a little!" Mikoto said as she started throwing sprinkles at everybody.

The birthday party continued that way deep into the long hours of the night while during the same day across Konoha stood a lonely boy outside the Leaf Orphanage.

It was another night where Naruto would come back to find the steel doors to the building locked. Over the years, he thought of many different and unique ways to try to get in and everytime his plans would be foiled from someone on the inside. By now, he learned to resign himself to his fate of sleeping outside on the cold concrete of the floor and only being able to lean on the doors for support. Staring at the doors, it made him hate the large leaf insignia displayed prominently on the door. As a cold chill ran down his back due to the high winds tonight, he wondered if he should have never left the orphanage this morning. He quickly shook his head. He couldn't stand the constant the constant bullying of the other kids and the physical and verbal abuse of the caretakers. If he wasn't able to leave the orphanage to be by himself, he would have certainly lost his mind. He learned early on to avoid other people when he went outside the orphanage. Most of the adults would stare at him with thinly disguised hate and disgust while others would ignore his existence as though he wasn't there at all. Kids at the playground at the Central Park of Konoha would either ignore him or try to stay away from him. He never understood why parents would tell their children to keep away from him. He never thought of himself as dangerous and never hurt a fly in his life. People would think that he couldn't hear their hushed whispers, but he found out from a young age that he had better hearing than most. He would always hear people calling him 'dangerous', 'demon', or 'evil'. Naruto considered himself more intelligent than most kids his age. But he could never understand why people thought he was evil or a demon. Was it his dark, red hair? Most people in the village didn't have red hair, certainly not this particular hue. Was it his prominent whisker marks that ran the length of his cheeks. Or was it his deep, red eyes? He never saw anyone else with these features. Maybe he was part of a hated clan that looked like him. Sometimes, he would imagine he was part of a clan of red haired, whisker people who lived in the forests of Konoha. But he would always shoot down that idea. He never heard of such a clan and after listening to so many quite conversations in the village through his enhanced hearing, he would have heard something, anything, about such a clan if it existed.

Naruto was so lost in his thoughts as fatigue and tiredness took over him, he never heard the growing mob forming close to the orphanage.

"Let's get the demon once and for all" yelled one villager.

"Today is the day of reckoning for all the suffering we went through five years ago" yelled another.

Once the group reached their destination, they found a young boy half asleep at the doorstep of the orphanage. They, then, proceeded to brutally beat him down with all manner of household items they were carrying. After a while the ninja leading the group decided to end the fun of the villagers and finally end the Jinchuuriki's life. Unlike the clueless villagers these ninja didn't didn't just hate the jinchuuriki because they thought that he was the actual Kyuubi. Far from it, they understood the difference between a scroll and a kunai. But they used to be against Kushina Uzumaki living in the village. They always feared that the beast would be released as long as a demon container lived freely within the village. And five years, their worst nightmare came true as the Kyuubi was released right in the middle of the village. Why couldn't people realize the truth? And now, they had a new jinchuuriki living in the village, and they knew they had to take action. That's why they most of their group of ninjas were causing a scene on the other side of the village while they finished off the demon container for good. But before they could complete their assassination, they were found themselves caught in a web of strong wood. Try as they might, they couldn't break free. And they couldn't use any techniques because the wood seemed to be sapping their chakra. As they slowly lost consciousness, the last thing they saw was an ANBU mask that seemed to be glaring at them.

The ANBU operative codenamed Tenzo was having a bad day. First, a fire starts starts in the west side of the village and unidentified chakra signatures enter the barrier surrounding the village. ANBU HQ goes into high alert, forcing most of the ANBU to investigate and stem any first wave of invasion. However, it turns out to be a few bandits who say they were paid to cross Konoha's barrier and the fires, although clearly arson, barely did any structural damage and no one was hurt. Tenzo immediately understood it was a set-up and began scouring the village for the real target. And lo and behold, he comes across an attempt on Naruto's life. Even more irritatingly, the ANBU that were on standby to guard him were nowhere to be found. They probably left to investigate the incident on the other side of the village, blatantly ignoring the order that only agents not otherwise occupied should go to investigate. When the Hokage hears about this there's going to be hell to pay he thought to himself as he tied up the perpetrators with a wood clone to take to the Interrogation department and the real him took Naruto to the hospital.

In his mindscape, Naruto was perplexed as he found himself in a murky sewer. He wondered if he died and this where people went to after they were no longer alive. He knew he was in a lot of pain as he saw a lot of angry people hitting him. Maybe his wounds were fatal? As he continued walking deeper into the sewer, he came across large bars like a cage closed off not by a handle but by a large piece of paper with a kanji on it. Then out of nowhere came a enormous fox with shark-like teeth and nine, large tails. As he saw the fox appear, he was initially startled, but he felt no fear. How could he when he was most likely already dead?

"So my container decided to grace me with his presence. Tell, me young one, why have you awoken me from my slumber?" asked the Kyuubi.

"I don't know. I was in a lot of pain, and then I woke up in here. Am I dead?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, you were being attacked by petty and scared humans. But you are not dead. I already healed your most of fatal wounds and am almost done with the rest. I had to use my own, limited chakra to complete the task, so you need to stop letting those worthless humans hurt you or you could actually die, especially if the injuries are so severe that I don't have enough chakra to heal you" answered the Kyuubi.

"If everyone hates my existence and want me dead, then wouldn't it be better that I die?" asked Naruto.

"Don't you get it, human. If you die, then I die. And I'm the Kyuubi. I will not become the dominion of that cursed Shinigami" roared the Kyuubi.

"But what's the point. No one likes me, and I don't belong anywhere. Most people hate me, and many want me dead. I'm just a child. I can't defend myself" Naruto almost shouted back.

Kyuubi was stunned. It was like he wasn't talking to a five year old human, but a defeated warrior. The intelligence and deductive skills of this child far outpace the vast majority of his species even at this young age. However, he's still a child and has yet to form any emotional attachments. If he could this child to see him as parental figure, he could use to gain his freedom at a later date. Yes, this would be sound plan indeed.

"But I like you" answered the Kyuubi. "You have to live for me and in return I will live for you. If you trust and listen to me, I'll protect you from those pitiful humans" answered the Kyuubi.

Naruto stood there as though he was contemplating the Kyuubi's words.

"But I'm human, so why would you like me" asked Naruto finally.

Kyuubi's head started spinning as he tried to come up with a response while also mentally berating himself for the slip up.

"Because you're not like all the other humans. Inside of you lives me, the most powerful demon in the continent. Other humans are pitiful creatures who only care about satiating their own greed and hurting others, particularly you" answered the Kyuubi.

"Wow. That means I'm special" said Naruto as he started to understand why people were always so mean. Seeing the Kyuubi nod, Naruto added "Okay, I'll do what you say as long as you can help me out." "But what should I call you?" he asked.

"Call me Kurama" said the Kyuubi.


	2. Chapter 2

After learning Kurama's name and a little of his backstory, Naruto was amazed to learn that he was a jinchuuriki, a container of the Nine Tailed Fox that attacked Konoha on the day of his birth. However, after telling him how he was going to help him and make him all great, Kurama just went back to sleep. Naruto tried everything to wake him up, including yelling, shouting, and even hurting himself. But nothing he did would bring the Kyuubi back to consciousness. Naruto's frustration only increased when he couldn't keep pretending to be asleep and had to deal with a flurry of doctors and nurses who would only look at him with eyes of disgust and loathing. After learning the truth, he really didn't want to deal with these hypocrites who actually thought he was the Kyuubi. But that didn't matter. From what he learned from Kurama, humans were by nature corrupt and vile. But what really irked Naruto were all the questions that some supposed doctor was asking him. He had light blonde hair tied in a ponytail and had a deep scar on his right eye. He introduced himself as a simple doctor, but he knew that he couldn't be a doctor. The questions he was asking were too weird and specific to be asked by a normal doctor and that scar probably meant he was a ninja. Seriously, who did he think he was fooling. After leaving the hospital, Naruto was sent back to the orphanage. Naruto had a feeling that he was being watched, but ignored it, thinking it was just his paranoia after the events of the past few days. Only after a full week and half did Kurama finally awaken.

"Kurama, why did you take so long to finally awaken?" Naruto asked, his frustration showing slightly in his tone.

"Calm down, brat. I told you this already. The Shinigami, using the Sandaime's life force, sealed away most of my chakra somewhere else, leaving only enough chakra to keep my form and sentience. That's why I can only be awake for a few hours every week" Kurama replied.

"But how can you help me if your only awake for so little time?" asked Naruto suspiciously.

"I can you give general principles and point you in the direction you need to go. For the rest, you need to learn on your own" answered Kurama.

"Okay, but if your the great demon fox, how did you get sealed away without any of your chakra?" asked Naruto naively.

"Watch your mouth, brat. I may only have a small percentage of my chakra, but I can still be dangerous. But to answer your question, I can gave into my own pride. I never imagined humans would create such powerful sealing arts or that the Uzumaki clan possessed seals capable of summoning the Shinigami. Even when I was first sealed, I still possessed all my chakra, a near infinite amount of power that coursed through my very being. Such feeling of power tends to make one oblivious to real vulnerabilities. As you can see, the results of such overbearing pride and trust in my power alone is that I am sealed into a vulnerable human child in a hostile environment with almost none of my chakra and a seal that ensures that I die if you die. As you can see the results aren't pretty" answered the Kyuubi.

"Wait, if I thought you can't die since you're a bijuu" asked Naruto.

"So you do remember our talk from a week ago. Yes, bijuu can't die because as demons we're not dominions of the Shinigami. However, this particular seal summons the Shinigami to seal away all my chakra while leaving my sentience sealed within you. When you die, the Shinigami will use the Sandaime's life force and chakra to seal me within his belly. When all is said and done, the Shinigami becomes much more powerful with my sentience added to his already overbearing consciousness and the Leaf get to keep my almost unlimited chakra as a sort of chakra battery that they can keep sealing and resealing without having to deal with the hate and vehemence that usually accompanies the use of my chakra. Really, it's a win-win for everyone. The Uzumaki were indeed true seal masters" explained the Kyuubi.

"So that's why you want me to find a way to get you out of this seal" realized Naruto.

"Yes, I hate to feel dependant on another. I suppose it's my fault for being so prideful and oblivious. But I need you to find a way for me to get out of this seal. In the meantime, however, you need to make sure you don't receive anymore lethal injuries. There may come a time when I just don't have the chakra to heal you completely, and if that happens we both die" said the Kyuubi.

"I understand, but I don't know any jutsus or even how to fight" said Naruto.

"I can't you teach you how to fight or handle weapons or even any human chakra techniques you call jutsus. I only know about pure chakra manipulation. The rest you're going to have to learn from a teacher" answered the Kyuubi. Seeing Naruto looking disheartened, Kurama added "But chakra manipulation is powerful and you have large reserves for a child. Even without my chakra, I'm still a powerful sensor and your chakra capabilities far outpace all life forms for miles around this orphanage. For a human, you will indeed be powerful."

"When do we start then" asked Naruto as he began to jump up and down.

"Impatient are we?" asked Kurama. "You need to learn patience, kit. This training will involve lots of meditation and inward reflection. First I need you to sit down and keep still. Then, just relax" said the Kyuubi. Seeing Naruto relaxed, Kurama added "Okay, now you need to feel inside of yourself an energy source. Feel deep inside and follow the rhythm of your body until you reach it."

"I can't find it" complained Naruto after a while.

"This takes deep meditation and could take days, kit. You need to be patient. But I'll give you a hint. It'll feel like a color, not look like one, but feel like one" answered the Kyuubi cryptically.

"Wait. That doesn't make any sense" Naruto replied as he sat there confused.

"You'll know what I mean when you find your chakra. Now I've been awake for too long and will now be taking my leave" said the Kyuubi as he started to fall asleep.

Inoichi Yamanaka should be happy today considering he would be going to his little girl's birthday party later today and he already picked out the perfect present. Even though put the Yamanaka Clan short for a while, it is report for his little Ino. Thinking like that maybe his wife had a point when she says we spoil her too much and that she grow up to be a spoiled little girl with fangirl tendencies. Nah, that would never happen Inoichi reassured himself. But all day, he couldn't look forward to the special occasion because he had to visit one Naruto Uzumaki in the hospital and conduct a mental evaluation without using any of his mind techniques. He literally had to reopen the old textbooks to freshen up on topics he hasn't used in a long time. But the worst part about it is that he couldn't come to a clear diagnosis and now he had to report all this to the Hokage. Let's see Shikaku Nara beat this in the 'troublesome' scale he thought to himself as he opened the door to the Hokage's office. Entering the office, he found Minato diligently finishing his work on the small pile of paperwork he had left.

"Is this a bad time, Hokage-sama?" asked Inoichi.

"Oh, no. I was just finishing some last minute work before heading home. Is there something you need, Inoichi?" Minato asked.

"Yes, I just wanted to go over my evaluation of Naruto" answered Inoichi.

Minato's mood instantly soured at the thought of Naruto. A few days ago Tenzo's brought him the news of the attempt on Naruto's life while he and Jiraiya were still recuperating from the adult afterparty to Menma's birthday party and let's just say things didn't go over well. The guilt that they completely forgot about him didn't help either. It wasn't sudden but slowly over time they started thinking about him less and less as they were caught up in their lives. But, hopefully, Inoichi's report can shed some light on Naruto's status and their family could start too heal. "What do you have for me, Inoichi?" asked Minato.

"For starters, from my questions and observations, I can say with confidence is intellectually not a five year old. He is much smarter and more observant than that" Inoichi said.

"What do you mean? We found that Menma is smarter than most kids his age" Minato asked.

"What I mean is that I estimate that Naruto is at least teenager or young adult in intelligence, and from reading all the texts in the area I can say with confidence that shouldn't be possible" replied Inoichi. "But that's not all, he has a distinct hate for humanity. At first, I thought this might just because of how he was treated by the village. But from listening to him, he has a well-formed ideology that humans are inherently an inferior species that are greedy and vile" Inoichi added.

Minato didn't know what to think. How could a five year old do all this. Not even Nara's are this smart at that age. It's just not possible. Maybe he really isn't his son, but that would mean he would have to order Naruto's death. Could he really do that? What would Kushina think?

"From your observations, what would you say. Is he the Kyuubi or is he human?" asked Minato.

"We can't know conclusively unless I use my Mind Techniques but we already ascertained that it's too dangerous and doesn't provide conclusive data anyway. From my observations alone, I would say that if he isn't the Kyuubi, he is certainly being influenced negatively by the demon since Naruto's ideology fits perfectly with tailed beasts' ideas about humans. And considering his intelligence level, he may very well be the Kyuubi" replied Inoichi ominously.

"Very well, thank you Inoichi. You're dismissed" Minato said.

"Hai Hokage-sama" Inoichi replied as he left through the front door.

As Inoichi left, Minato racked his brain for a solution. He knew he would have to talk to Jiraiya about this. Sighing, he went back to his paperwork.

Danzo Shimura, Elder in the Konoha Council and Commander of the ANBU force Root, was becoming increasingly paranoid as the years wore on. By all accounts, he should be happy and proud that the village he loves so much is in such great shape. Konoha and Fire Nation sported the largest economy in the Elemental Nations and the largest median income. Konoha also nows offers the largest salaries for ninjas, increasing its ranks to one of the largest, second only to Kumo which trains even talentless civilians in the ninja arts. Konoha also has the highest quality shinobi and with its emphasis on teamwork, it also has one of the lowest mission casualties lists. This isn't even accounting for such powerful battle-oriented clans as the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Akimichi or clans that provide other essential services such as the Nara in intelligence and strategies, the Yamanaka in information-gathering, and the Kurama in genjutsu and illusions. Danzo knew all this made Konoha by far the strongest nation on the continent and yet he couldn't ignore all the warning signs pointing to trouble. Konoha's large economy is only supported because of favorable treaties and trade deals with Iwa and Suna, two of the Big Five who are increasingly agitating to get back their former glory, as well as one-sided economic agreements with many small villages around Konoha's borders. However, even if these small villages and Iwa and Suna decide to attack Konoha, they would never be able to take down Konoha. No, what really worried Danzo is the possibility the world unites against Konoha to stop its reign as a superpower. While, there's no evidence right now that such an alliance is forming, he knew it would only be a matter of time. The world eventually united against Uzu and Konoha is likely next. In the contented and peaceful state Konoha is in now, it would never be able to hold off an alliance that large. This all thanks to that poisonous ideology of the Sandaime. His ideas of diplomacy and peaceful coexistence have no place in the ninja world today. And today the foremost preacher of this ideology is that brat Minato and his sensei. Really if it weren't for Orochimaru's successful efforts to weaken all our enemies economically for their folly, Konoha would have been in dire straights a long time ago. But Orochimaru should have gone further and weakened them militarily as well to end any possibility of revenge. If only Orochimaru were Hokage, he would be more open to Danzo's counsel. Danzo, though, quickly shook his end. There's still no guarantee that Orochimaru's loyalties lie with Konoha. Danzo knew he had to become Hokage and stop the village's fall. Now that Minato's cousin mastered the Hiraishin, he could kill the Hokage and execute a coup d'etat. And he knew the perfect way to do it. He would need to train the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi and get it firmly under his control. Then, the Jinchuriki would kill Minato and through some political maneuvering, he would have himself installed as the Godaime Hokage. With the Jinchuriki of the most powerful bijuu under his control, the world would bow before Konoha's might. What made the plan even more sweet is that the Jinchuriki is obviously Minato's son. Even though Danzo couldn't get anymore spies within Hokage Tower because of Orochimaru, anybody and their grandmother could tell that child is a cross between Kushina and Minato. Yes, very soon, Konoha would in a real Golden Age.

As Danzo opened the door to the Hokage's office, these same thoughts kept swirling in his head. "Do you have a minute, Hokage-sama?" asked Danzo respectfully.

"Sure, what is it that you need, elder-san" replied Minato.

"Oh, I just wanted to talk about certain policies. I have admit you've done wonders for the village. But I'm still concerned about increases in farmer's subsidies and what that might do to the annual budgetary decisions next week" Danzo replied.

"I don't know what you mean, elder-san. The Farmer's Association petitioned for increases and I signed them into law" Minato said questioningly.

"Well, I mean many in the council will ask for certain cuts because these increases may put us back a little, and they've asked for cuts to the orphanage in the past" replied Danzo.

Minato tried to rack his brain around Danzo's request. He's never been interested in agriculture or in the Orphanage. Why couldn't he just be straightforward. Usually, Orochimaru would deal with this kind of stuff. Uh… Wait. What if he's not interested in the Orphanage, but someone in the Orphanage. Naruto. He should have guessed as much.

"Why do want to train the Jinchuuriki, Danzo? asked Minato questioningly.

"I think it's very dangerous to have an untrained Jinchuuriki in the village Hokage-sama. Not only could he accidentally draw upon the bijuu's chakra, other village's might see it as a weakness when they themselves have perfect Jinchuurikis to call upon" said Danzo.

"I know of your training methods. They're not exactly humane" accused Minato.

"I know you have concerns, Hokage-sama. But if you allow me train our Jinchuuriki, I would make it absolutely certain his loyalties lie with the village alone. A loyal Jinchuuriki would be a great asset to our military forces" replied Danzo. Even if Minato didn't agree, Danzo already had plans to get the Kyuubi under his control. Asking is just the easiest way.

Minato thought about Danzo's proposal. While he wouldn't want anyone to undergo what Danzo calls training, there have been cases where people break out of Danzo's programming, his student Kakashi being the prime example. However, could he give Naruto to Danzo? But what would be the other solution. From Inoichi's report, Naruto is most likely the Kyuubi. Even Jiraiya told him he's being too soft and that he had to stop calling him Naruto. According to everybody, Naruto died the night of his birth and all that's left of him is his body and the Kyuubi's consciousness. Call it father's intuition or wishful thinking, but Minato just had this feeling that Naruto is still in there and could he really order the execution of his son? But if he sent him with Danzo, Root might be able get the Kyuubi under control. A tall task, he knew, to try and get an ancient being under the Leaf's control, but even if Danzo couldn't get the Kyuubi under his control, maybe the training could have Naruto's consciousness resurface. No matter how slim the chance, he had to take it–as a father.

"Alright, Danzo, you will train the Jinchuuriki for a time period. You will also give me periodic reports of the Jinchuuriki's progress and if I find the progress to be unsatisfactory, you will be taken off this task" ordered Minato.

Danzo was stunned for a minute. Why would Minato agree so quickly? He always disagreed with his methods. Then again, someone who would send their son way, even if he's a Jinchuuriki, to live as a disgrace in the Orphanage, might not disagree with him being trained the Root way from a young age. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. You won't regret it" said Danzo ominously. Oh, yes he would. Danzo would make sure of it, he said to himself.

"Don't disappoint me" said Minato as Danzo got up to leave.


	3. Chapter 3

One and Half Year Later

Having taken care of his two enemies, Naruto jumped from the tree branch he was standing on and landed beside his team. The odds were not in their favor today. Regardless, Naruto was going to even them. "Shadow Clone Jutsu" he yelled as he formed 12 clones to back up his team. Each of his clones pulled out their tantos and the battle commenced.

Parrying a blow aimed for his head, Naruto pushed a kunai into the belly of another enemy. Seeing the enemy go pale as his sword went limp in seeing his friend's guts on the ground, Naruto took the opportunity to relieve his distracted enemy of his head. With that, the last enemy still fighting went down. However, seeing three enemies trying to get away, Naruto quickly made hand signs and yelled "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough". Right then, a large gust of wind cut down the remaining enemies, making their mission to end the rebellion in Rice Country a success.

As Naruto jumped from tree branch to tree branch, the only thing he could think about is that Danzo would be pleased with another successfully completed mission. But this mission was different, he thought to himself. Danzo trusted him with leadership of Team 12 and Naruto made sure that the team completed their mission as efficiently and quickly possible. Entering Konoha through one of Root's secret entrances, he led his team through the dark hallways that made up one of the Root's underground bases as he took off his kitsune (fox) mask. He knew Danzo would likely give him a commendation tomorrow, and what could be more important than serving Danzo, he asked himself rhetorically.

Kurama was becoming increasingly worried as the months wore on. Naruto was losing more and more of his emotions and pretty soon, he would likely become just another emotionless Root agent whose only purpose in life is serving that one-eyed fool with delusions of grandeur. If that was the case then Kurama would never be able to leave the seal and would have to resign himself to becoming part of the Shinigami. Kurama had to do something and something soon. But he could only be awake for a couple of hours in the week and that's not nearly enough time to reverse the barrage of mind control and propaganda. Originally, he wanted to be the only one to have an emotional connection with Naruto, but with Danzo in the picture he couldn't do that. Really, the only thing that he could do is stop the seals that Danzo keeps reapplying liberally throughout Naruto's body by overloading them with demonic chakra. Some seals were to stop any discussion of Root's and Danzo's secrets while others were plain mind-control seals. However, they would disappear after Kurama awoke. But Kurama knew not to underestimate the effects of verbal and situational propaganda and the effects can be clearly seen in his container. What the Kyuubi needed was somebody to connect with Naruto emotionally. Somebody loyal to the Kyuubi only. Kurama grinned as he remembered that that old fox he gave some of his chakra to so he could protect his pack. Now where did he meet him? Ah, yes the mountain range in the northwest. What do they call that place now? Now he remembered. Rock Country where Iwakagure is located. All he had to do now is wait for a mission request there and implore Naruto to take it. Accepting the plan as sound, Kurama went back to sleep.

Six Months Later

Danzo was pleased with his investment in the ROOT operative Kitsune (Naruto). The kid was natural learner and took up the shinobi arts like glue to paper. Danzo was especially pleased in Naruto's aptitude to infiltration and other covert shinobi arts. In the simulations, he always got the highest marks. His leadership skills were noteworthy as well as he consistently led his teams to success. But what really impressed Danzo is Naruto's aptitude for ninjutsu. He has dual affinities in wind and water, which is impressive by itself, but what was really amazing is the kid's ability to practically learn jutsus in his sleep. He already mastered most of the wind jutsus that Danzo knows and he was only now starting him on water jutsus. Even more excellent is that his Uzumaki DNA means he has extraordinarily large chakra reserves. Danzo estimates that his reserves are at least low jounin now at this young age. The kid was quickly becoming his most useful tool, second only to Itachi Uchiha. And he hadn't even trained Naruto in using his bijuu's chakra yet. But soon, Naruto would be the perfect tool and would carry out his plans for him. If only those damn secrecy and mind control seals would stick. Regardless, the kid was slowly growing an emotional attachment to him and completing his missions perfectly. Danzo would just have make an effort keep Naruto out of the loop of any sensitive material. If that is price for a perfect tool, then so be it, he thought to himself as he went through the missions that needed to be completed today.

"Kitsune, you will lead a team to the Land of Hot Water and assassinate a lower noble by the name of Kinshi Obiware and his bodyguards. You will make his death look like the work of wandering bandits. His death will allow us to expand Root's and Konoha's presence farther west. Tora, you will lead a mission to the Land of Earth to investigate reports from our spies that they have expanded their ninja program. You will make sure your presence is not discovered and if it is, kill all witnesses and erase all evidence of your existence. Begin preparations now. Both teams will leave tomorrow morning" commanded Danzo.

Hearing a chorus of "Hai, Danzo-sama", Danzo left to go to his office, he had plans to make.

As Naruto was walking back his room to get ready for the mission tomorrow, he heard rumblings inside his mindscape.

"What is it now, Kurama?" Naruto asked a little irked.

"You should be a little more appreciative, kit. I did keep awake for all those hours and help you with your chakra control and manipulation" said Kurama.

"Whatever, what is it that you need. You don't usually come out just to start a conversation" Naruto said.

"You need to live a little, kit. I swear this this place is getting rid of any personality you have left. Don't you ever talk just for the sake of talking?" Kurama asked. "Wait, don't answer that" Kurama corrected himself. "Anyway, I really think you should take that mission to Iwa" Kurama suggested.

"What would the difference. A mission is a mission. Regardless, Danzo doesn't like requests. He says it shows you have likes, dislikes, emotions, etc. which is unbecoming of a shinobi" Naruto replied.

"Don't listen to everything he says, kit. Everyone has emotions and it doesn't make you any worse of a shinobi for having them" Kurama tried to explain, but seeing Naruto keep his blank look instead said "just do it. There's something that will make you a lot stronger" Kurama suggestively implied.

"Really? What is it?" Naruto asked.

"Something that will give you an edge over others" Kurama replied.

"Why won't you tell me what it is. What are you hiding?" Naruto asked.

"Just do it, kit You'll thank me later" Kurama said.

Thinking over it, Naruto didn't want to disappoint Danzo by asking for something, showing that he still had emotions. But he did want to get stronger and Kurama that this would give him an edge over others. Naruto decided that since he completed so many missions successfully, he could ask for this one thing.

Turning around to go to Danzo's office, he said "alright, but if Danzo gets angry it's your fault."

"Keep in mind that you have to keep me a secret. So tell him, you haven't been to Rock Country yet and want to see how it is or something" Kurama instructed.

"Alright, alright" Naruto said as he opened the door handle to Danzo's office. "Can I ask you for something, Danzo-sama?" Naruto asked respectfully.

"Sure, what do you need, Kitsune" Danzo asked.

"I wanted to lead to lead the mission to Rock Country. I've been to a few countries, but have never traveled to one of the Big Five" Naruto asked cautiously.

Danzo thought over the request. Naruto rarely asked for something and completed all tasks assigned to him without question so this was unusual. But this also shows that the mind control and propaganda weren't completely effective on him. He would have to up the ante later though. Regardless, a purely observation mission to Iwa might do Naruto some good. And when he returns, Danzo could make sure that Naruto's remaining emotions are straightened out for good.

"Alright, you and Tora will switch missions. If that is all, you are dismissed" Danzo said.

"Hai, Danzo-sama" Naruto replied as he left.

One Week Later

Making their way through the mountainous and rough terrain was not as easy as Naruto thought it would be. The hot summer son bearing on them as they tried to navigate through the arid and rocky country while avoiding Iwa patrols took more energy than they planned for and had to make pit stops more and more often as time went on. By the time they reached the secluded area that housed secretive Iwa training grounds, about a week passed since they started their journey. Looking around, they found that Iwa was still using the same training methods that were in the old reports. Suspiciously, they had the same number of recruits as previous years. This was the complete opposite of what they read about in the spy's reports Danzo gave them for this mission.

"This seems very suspicious. Iwa likely has another location where their training other recruits in their more secretive program. I will scout out ahead while you guys stay here and make camp. I want you to make notes on anything you find here. We will meet up in two weeks at the rendezvous. If I'm more than two days late, assume I've been captured and report to Danzo immediately" Naruto said.

"Hai Taichou-sama" his two teammates replied in unison.

As Naruto made his way west of the training grounds, he thought of Kurama's odd request. He told him to leave his team and ask them to meet back up in two week's time. And then to travel west of the Iwa training grounds to where several mountains meet up in the harsh interior of Rock Country. Naruto only hoped his teammates didn't get suspicious of his activities. It is unlike a Root captain to leave his teammates to go on a solo mission. Then again, what is he worrying about. His teammates are like robots, they probably couldn't think for themselves if they tried. He just hoped that he was going in the right direction and that Kurama woke up soon. He really didn't like being behind enemy territory alone. Right now, he was only chunin level in strength, even with his jounin chakra reserves, and if an Iwa patrol found him alone, it would probably be the end for him.

One day later

As Naruto neared the area that Kurama indicated, Naruto became amazed by the terrain: mountain after mountain as far as the eye could see. When he squinted, he could make the outline of three mountains that seemed to come together and make some kind of odd pattern. It must be where Kurama said to go. Naruto braced himself for a long and rough journey of climbing and descending from multiple mountains to reach the landmark.

As these thoughts swiveled through Naruto's head, it was then that Kurama decided to wake up.

'I guess the little young one made it, but he's actually thinking of climbing dozens of mountains to reach the point? He must be more naive than I thought he was' Kurama said to himself.

"Kit, you actually think that you can climb all those mountains without enough food and water" Kurama asked,

"Ah, you're awake. You're right, I should go scavenge for some supplies" Naruto said.

"That's not what I meant. You would never be able to get all the way there even if you packed all the supplies in the world. The area is much larger than you think because of the angle and distance you're looking at it from. Besides, the Iwa sun and rocky sand as well as the large amount of magnetic flux in the area create powerful mirages that imitate the effects of the most powerful genjutsu" explained Kurama.

"And since it's not a chakra technique, you can't dispel it" realized Naruto. "What am I supposed to do?" asked Naruto. "Why did you even me bring me here if it's impossible to cross this impenetrable wasteland" Naruto complained.

"Calm down, kit. I brought you here because this is a place I would come to rest. It's also the place I met an old fox struggling to care for his litter. It was during the old clan war days of constant fighting and hunger so desperate humans would hunt his kind for food. Without any chakra, they were powerless against the humans. So I gave them a small portion of my power to see what they would do with it. With any luck, they may still be there" answered the Kyuubi.

"But how do I get there with the mirage in place" asked Naruto.

"Follow my chakra signature. Even after so many years, it should still be prominent in the area. It should lead you to the area. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to catch up with some rest" Kurama said as he dozed off to sleep.

"Wait, stop. I can't feel your chakra anywhere" Naruto said. However, realizing that Kurama was not going to answer him, he got up from where he was gazing at the mountains and began walking through one of the many valleys that dotted the landscape. Naruto walked aimlessly for hours through the rocky scenery until he felt familiar chakra to his left. Following it, he started feeling it getting stronger. As Naruto kept walking, he came upon a large mountain. However, the chakra signature only got stronger near it. Realizing, he needed to climb it, he began circulating chakra through his hands and feet. But once he reached the mountain, instead of being able to climb it, he instead phased through it. 'What is going on' he thought to himself as he tried to get up from falling on the floor. 'I could have sworn that mountain looked solid' he thought perplexed. However, before he could think about this further, he had to quickly dodge a fireball that dissipated right where he was a few moments ago. As he tried to get his bearings straight he heard the most captivating tone of music his life. When he tried to get closer to the source of the music, he found he couldn't move his body at all. To his horror, he couldn't flare his chakra either. Right then, he heard a loud booming voice.

"What are you doing here" the voice demanded as a human-sized, grey canine came into view. Naruto just called him canine because his large and pointy ears indicated he was a fox, however, his large body and molars indicated he was some kind of wolf.

"I-I am herre bec-because Kurama sent me" Naruto tried to say without stuttering.

"Do not play me for a fool. Kurama would never associate with humans. Let alone a whimpering young brat" said the canine dismissively.

Naruto cursed his luck. Kurama was asleep and he had to convince angry old wolf-fox-dog thing of who he is. But he couldn't do that since he couldn't move because of some genjutsu the canine put on him through that musical tone he heard. Come to think of it, Naruto never heard of a music-based genjutsu before. Regardless, it doesn't change the fact that he couldn't get out it by flaring his chakra alone. It must be a powerful, multilayered genjutsu. Naruto always had a difficult time with genjutsu, but after much studying and practice, he could dispel most average to high level genjutsu. He didn't think more would be required because it is such a rare art with few if any shinobi of a village specializing in it. The only really powerful genjutsu practitioners in the shinobi world are the Kurama and Uchiha, but they're both on Konoha's side so Naruto never thought deep study in the subject was ever required. However, seeing the effects of this old canine's jutsu, Naruto could only stare, too paralyzed to do much of anything. Then, he remembered that Kurama still had access to some of his chakra. Although it was really only enough to keep his form in this plane, he could flare some of Kurama's chakra and then that would be proof enough of his words to this old dog, Naruto thought determined.

"Kurama, wake up already! I'm kind of in a bind here" said Naruto loudly in his head. Not hearing anything from his the Kyuubi, Naruto kept shouting in his head.

"Who are you talking to, kid. How many people you got. Hurry up and answer. I don't got all day" demanded the old canine

"What do you want, kit. I was having a nice dream of destroying Konoha" said the Kyuubi.

"I need you to flare your chakra to get me out of this genjutsu" said Naruto quickly.

"I sleep for little bit and you already get yourself in trouble" Kurama said disappointed as he flared his demonic chakra. At that same moment, Naruto was covered in a small layer of demonic chakra that immediately dissipated because of Kurama's low reserves. But it did its job and ended the paralysis genjutsu placed on Naruto.

"Wh-What are you? How do you have Kurama's chakra?" asked the old canine.

"I told you that Kurama sent me here. I'm the container for the Nine-tailed fox, Kurama" explained Naruto.

Seeing that the young one was not lying, the old canine quickly said "forgive me for my insolence, but I had to make sure you weren't an intruder." "If I may ask, why did you come all the way here. I haven't seen Kurama in ages" asked the old canine.

"Kurama sent me here, saying you could make me stronger" said Naruto.

"Yes, young one, you indeed need to get stronger. You couldn't even get out of one of my weaker genjutsu" said the old canine. "What is your name" he asked.

"Naruto" he said.

"No family or clan name?" asked the old canine.

"I'm an orphan so I don't know" said Naruto.

Pulling out a scroll from thin air the old canine said "Very well, call me Watanabi. Right your name in blood on this scroll. It's the summoning contract of the Fox Clan. Long have we waited for a worthy summoner" he added.

Naruto was stunned. Summoning contracts are notoriously rare and well guarded village treasures. Even doing a general summoning to try your luck in getting one very rarely ends in success. Most who try it are devoured by whatever creatures live in the summoning realm they are transported to. Biting his thumb and spelling out the kanji for Naruto on the scroll, he was taken aback by a puff of smoke as a medium-sized white and blue fox appeared.

"Hey, pops. What's going on? Why'd you summon me" said the fox that just appeared.

Look around you, Takahashi. You were summoned by that young pup over there" said Watanabi.

"Him! Why'd you give our summons to that puny kid" said the now identified Takahashi.

"Show more respect. He's the container of the Nine-tailed fox" said Watanabi.

"Really? The Nine-tailed fox" said Takahashi excitedly. "Hey, what's your name, kid"

Having stared at the entire exchange with the same stoic demeanor, he finally replied, saying "I'm Naruto."

"You don't have much of a personality do you?" said Takahashi. "Alright, if you're going to get a proper partner, I need to know your strengths and weaknesses" he added.

"I'm pretty average with taijutsu and genjutsu, but I excel at ninjutsu and weapons usage, especially my tanto" replied Naruto.

"Which elements can you do?" Takahashi asked.

"I have very strong affinities to both wind and water, although I only recently started learning jutsus with my water element. I know a lot of wind jutsus though" Naruto explained.

"Ah, a wind user eh. Those are really rare west of Suna" Takahashi said. "Well, let's see who would be a good partner. Hmmm. We would need someone with a strong fire affinity so you guys could do powerful combinations. Also, we would need someone that's good at genjutsu and taijutsu. But they would also have to be young so you guys could grow together. Ahh, there's like no one with those qualifications. Wait, Suzuki might work. He's only one years old and is already good at genjutsu and has a strong fire affinity. He would have to work on his taijutsu though. Oh well, can't get them all, right?" Takahashi added. Seeing that he wouldn't get an answer, he said "I asked you if you want Suzuki as a partner."

"Oh, sorry. Yes, I would be honored" said Naruto respectfully.

'What is up with this kid' thought Takahashi. "Okay. I want you to bite your finger again and do a summoning jutsu like you did last time. But this time, think of a small, red fox named Suzuki" said Takahashi.

When Naruto did as the white-blue fox instructed, a small, red fox with black stripes on its back appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Eep. Wh-Where am I. Takahashi-niisan, is that you?" squeaked out the little fox.

"Yeah it's me. We summoned you here because we found you a partner. You'll be working with Naruto over there" said Takahashi.

"What! Really? Everyone's gonna be so jealous. I'm like the first person to have a partner" exclaimed Suzuki in an excited manner.

"Alright. Stop jumping up and down and go greet your summoner already" said a frustrated Takahashi.

"Oh. He he. I'm Suzuki. What's your name?" asked Suzuki sheepishly.

Naruto was seriously getting tired of introducing himself, and the antics of these foxes wasn't helping. "I'm Naruto" he replied.

"Cool. Nice to meet you" replied Suzuki.

It was right then that Watanabi chose to speak up again. "Since everyone is introduced, let's explain how this is going to work. Suzuki shall be your primary summons, but you should call upon all of us at one time or another. We haven't seen battle in many years and many of us are itching for some fights. You should also train with Suzuki to get a feel for your partner and his fighting style and come up with some combination jutsu's as well as team tactics. But since you came to us to get stronger, I think Takahashi should be more than happy to help you with your water element since he has good mastery over water. I shall help you with your genjutsu since your so weak in that area. We can't teach you our taijutsu styles since your two-legged but we can help you develop your own" explained Watanabi.

"Sorry, but I'm actually on a mission right now. I can only be here for two weeks" said Naruto dejectedly. He was actually really excited about the training program Watanabi described.

"If that's the case then, we only have enough time for you to get acquainted with Suzuki and maybe for Takahashi to teach you a few water jutsu. You'll have to rely on Suzuki for genjutsu for now. When you get back to your village we can pick up your training" replied Watanabi.

"I'm sorry, but Kurama wants to keep our association a secret for now so I might not be able to train back home" Naruto said as his eyes became despondent.

"That's alright. The Fox Clan specializes in the more covert shinobi arts. Trust me, you'll be able to study under us without anyone noticing" said Watanabi's gruff voice confidently.

"What do mean the more covert shinobi arts?" asked Naruto.

"What he means is that we specialize in tracking, infiltration, concealment, and genjutsu" replied Takahashi.

"We'll be able to teach you inside your village without anyone noticing" said Watanabi.

"Then can you guys help me with my mission. I'm supposed to track Iwa's new training regimen and take notes on how many new recruits they have and what they're learning. I can't do that if I'm training with you guys" asked Naruto.

"Don't worry about that. We have you covered. We'll send Takito. He's free right?" asked Takahashi.

"You know he just came from a mission. He's not going to be happy if you send him again. Honestly, I don't know why you like messing with him so much" said Watanabi frustratingly.

"It's just that he blows up every time he gets a new mission. I can't help myself" Takahashi tried to explain.

Two Weeks Later

When Naruto found his teammates at the rendezvous, they made quick haste back to Konoha to inform Danzo of their findings. Naruto was quite pleased with how his training progressed with the foxes. He learned two new water jutsus from Takahashi. He found that his partner, Suzuki, was really weak with ninjutsu. Although their combinations were pretty powerful, Suzuki only had reserves to do two or three of them in a battle. Even though Takahashi explained that Suzuki will grow his chakra reserves as he grows up, Naruto was still a little disappointed. But that might just be because he has unnaturally large reserves and unlike him, Suzuki is not a freak of nature. But Naruto really admired Suzuki for his genjutsu skills. He didn't notice the two bells tied to Suzuki's neck because they were hidden by a powerful genjutsu. When Suzuki activates the bells, he uses the sound waves to cast powerful genjutsus that Naruto couldn't get out of. Suzuki's taijutsu relied on taking advantage of the time it takes an opponent to get out of the genjutsu, which can be effective on many opponents since sound waves travel to many opponents at once. Naruto really wished that he had more time to hash out his problems with powerful genjutsus. Needless to say, Naruto had more respect for the underappreciated art by the end of the two weeks.

One Year Later

As Naruto jumped from tree branch to tree branch, he thought about how his life changed because of the fox summons. He now knew a plethora of water jutsus he could use and although he still needed a source of water to do them, his mastery of the water element was getting better. He could now adequately dispel high level or multilayered genjutsu and his taijutsu, while still not the best, was getting better. Naruto now estimated his skills as at least jounin level and if he got help from his Fox Summons, particularly Suzuki, he could take down most high-level opponents. As these thoughts went through Naruto's head, he missed the fact that they crossed into Rice's borders.

"Taichou-sama, we have entered Rice Country. Shouldn't we check our perimeter and make camp" asked the alligator masked operative Wani.

Mentally berating himself for his absent mindedness, Naruto replied, "Yes, we should. Make camp at that clearing, while I check our perimeter and make traps" said Naruto.

The Next Day

Naruto made a point to keep alert for the rest mission, especially since they split up and were going solo for the next few days. Danzo gave them the mission to observe Rice and make notes on the notes on the movements of the resistance movement in the country. They are especially supposed to gain intelligence on the new leader of the rebels that has cutting supply lines for the Rice Damiao. As Naruto discretely observed the country, he began to see why the people here would rebel. The country really is in poor straights. All of the towns that Naruto visited had only poor, run-down buildings, with many of the buildings looking like they went through previous battles. The stores are poorly stocked, a result of the bad harvest that Naruto noticed as he made his way through Rice's fields. Most of the inhabitants of the country are malnourished and wearing worn clothing. The shinobi that Naruto could observe look better fed and clothed, but the gleam in their eyes speak of sorrow and hopelessness.

"You should help them" suggested Kurama.

"Why would I do that? You know that these humans don't deserve any sympathy" said Naruto incredulously.

Kurama mentally sighed. He had to get Naruto out of this idea that all humans are bad. While it was his fault that Naruto thought that way, but back then it served a purpose, now it was preventing Naruto from making any human attachments at all. What's even worse is that Naruto was becoming more and more obedient to Danzo. The irony was not lost on Kurama considering that Danzo is human. However, Danzo gives Naruto's life purpose and meaning. Moreover, Danzo's constant propaganda doesn't help. If Kurama couldn't get Naruto out of Danzo's thumb, his own plan for freedom might be in jeopardy. He, however, could see Naruto's personality and emotions as a success. Kurama noticed that every time that Naruto interacts with his fox summons, his mood instantly brightens as he starts showing a little of his real self. Now all the Kyuubi has to do is provide Naruto with a new purpose in life. And protecting these humans in this backward country might just be it.

"These humans are different from those we have seen in Konoha and I'm not talking about their poverty. Look more closely" said Kurama.

Naruto squinted his eyes to try and see what Kurama was talking about. He couldn't really see anything different. They're suffering from extreme poverty, that much was obvious. Maybe Kurama wasn't talking about their material conditions. Possibly, their behaviours? They're doing the same things that he saw Konoha's civilians do, Naruto thought as he saw them going about various jobs and activities. Then, Naruto saw it. Kurama meant how they interacted with each other. In Konoha, people generally ignored each other in the street and no one paid each other any mind. But here, people actively greeted each other and asked each other how they have been. Then, Naruto noticed another difference. In Konoha, prices were labeled outside of any products and even someone was only a few ryos short, they wouldn't be allowed to buy it. But here, people actively bartered for goods and most left with something. However, what really caught Naruto's eye is the treatment of orphans. Most of the orphans constantly left the run-down building they lived in and ventured into the market district of the city. There, the shop owners would give each of them something even though their stores are barely stocked as it is. Naruto wondered what made them so determined to survive and help each out in the face of poor odds. Certainly, he would have given a long time ago if it wasn't for Kurama and Danzo.

"You're wondering why these people try so hard. Go and ask them. But take off that mask and headwear" said Kurama.

'It's like Kurama's reading my mind. I might have to put up more mental barriers later' he thought to himself as he took off his fox mask and his headwear that hid his long flowing, dark red hair.

Shaking his head to get his hair settled correctly, he walked through one of the streets of Rice's Capital. He saw kids pointed fingers at him while the adults looked at him curiously. However, Naruto was a little surprised to see that the people here didn't look at him with hate and disgust in their eyes. He knew that they didn't know he held the Kyuubi, but this was the first time he walked in another country without his mask and a small part of him always feared that he was despised everywhere. As he walked, a little girl with bright, orange hair attempted to snatch his ninja pouch where he kept most of his ninja tools. Before she could, however, he grabbed her hand and held it up.

"L-Let me go!" she yelled.

"Your the one trying to steal my stuff" Naruto said.

"Let my cousin go" yelled a young man with blue hair.

Naruto looked at the man. By his clothing and his demeanor, Naruto concluded that he is a shinobi and considering that he didn't any want trouble, he let the girl go. "Sorry, this girl was trying to steal from me" Naruto explained.

"No I wasn't it. And he's an intruder, Arashi. You should take him to Damiao-sama" she said while rubbing her wrists.

"Yes, I have to ask what your doing in this country. This place isn't safe, especially for someone as young as you. There are Konoha shinobi running around and they're ruthless" the blue-haired man now identified as Arashi explained.

"Oh, I was just traveling. I have to wonder though, this country is falling apart. Why stay?" Naruto asked.

"You haven't heard? Where have you been for the past five years?" said Arashi incredulously.

"You shouldn't talk to him, Arashi. He might be a spy for the Damiao" said the orange-haired girl fearfully.

"Oh, don't worry Sasami. I haven't seen any of the Damiao's men this young or anyone with red hair for that matter. Since you're obviously clueless, I'll fill you in on this country's history. My cousin and I are from the Fuuma clan. We used to be a renowned ninja clan that specialized in the use of our powerful ninja tools. The Fuma clan, along with the Shiin clan, historically protected the Damiao and the people of Rice. Then, the peaceful Sandaime of Konohagakure died and the cursed Yondaime took power. Konoha forced our small country to sell our rice and other crops at low prices to them while many of us starve. Our economy, largely dependant on agriculture, dropped significantly, putting most of us into poverty. Worse, Konoha forced us to sell many of our clan secrets including our coveted Fuuma shuriken. Our once proud Fuuma clan was reduced into becoming vassals by our greedy Damiao and his samurai who went along with Konoha's policies without even trying to fight back. They get most of the benefits of the economy while the rest of us starve" explained Arashi.

"Your a ninja clan. Why don't you just leave" Naruto asked.

"This is our home; we can't just leave it. Besides, we have always protected the people of Rice and will continue to do so until the last of dies" said Arashi confidently.

"But why. You'll die. Even now, Konoha is sending more and more shinobi to end the rebellion" said Naruto not understanding what drove these shinobi.

"Haven't you see the state of our people. Even though we might be hungry and tired, we won't give up until the last of us is buried in the ground. Konoha can send as many shinobi it wants, as long as even a few of us live, our determination will be carried on" Arashi said optimistically.

Naruto kept being surprised by these people. He realized that even though he might be physically stronger than most people in Rice, they were stronger than him in drive and determination, things he sorely lacked. He couldn't just leave these people to their fate, but what could he do? And could he really go against Konoha. Against Danzo?

"This is why I said you should help these people" Kurama said. "Those filthy Konoha people think they can step over everybody and get away with it. Their insolence disgusts me" he added.

"Yeah, but what could I do. I'm just a single kid. The Damiao is bound to have hundreds of samurai and even a few Konoha shinobi guarding him" replied Naruto.

"If you summon half the fox clan here, about 40 members, with the rebels help you could take out most of the loyal Rice shinobi and the samurai. You could take out the few Konoha shinobi the Damiao has with him" explained Kurama.

"Arashi-san, I may be able to help if you can get the rebels to stage an attack at midnight" said Naruto.

"Tonight? That's too little time to organize everybody. And you would need an army kid to beat the Damiao's forces . Besides, how do we know we can trust you" asked Arashi.

"I have my ways. And if you can trust me or not, let's just say seeing the plight of your people, makes me remember how I used to be. You'll just have to have faith when I say you can trust me" Naruto said as he left in shunshin of wind.

Naruto entered the rendezvous point, having put his mask and headwear back on. When he got there, he was met with his two teammates, alligator-masked Wani and racoon-masked Tanuki.

"Report" said Naruto in a commanding voice that came out just a little to childish.

"We haven't noted any rebel movements today. They seem to be in hiding. Hopefully, we'll have better luck tomorrow, Taichou-sama" they said while kneeling.

"So you both failed in your objectives" Naruto said. Seeing that he wasn't going to get a response, he cut off the head of a kneeling Tanuki and before he could cut off the head of his other teammate, Wani jumped back reflexively.

"What are you doing, Kitsune. This is not in the mission parameters" said Wani.

"You both failed and as your taichou, I have the authority to execute you" Naruto said as he finished the hand signs for his jutsu. "Wind Release: Wind Explosion" Naruto shouted as a ball of unstable wind hurled towards his teammate.

Seeing the jutsu getting closer, Wani finished his own hand signs and shouted back "Water Release: Water Encampment Wall." The defensive jutsu slowed Naruto's down considerably, but still left some damage as Wani had to jump back a couple of times before he got his bearings straight. Quickly looking around, Wani tried desperately to find his wayward teammate. He knew it wasn't a good idea to give him a chance to fire off jutsus considering his large reserves augmented his power. He needed to get him close to have a chance.

Suddenly, Wani heard "Wind Release: Gale Wolf." Before he could react, a wolf made of of wind chakra began to claw and chew at him. Wani screamed as he tried to get the chakra creature off of him. Once the wind died down, Wani couldn't enjoy the peace as a tanto was now sticking out of his chest. Before he could scream out, he was already dead.

Burning the bodies of his teammates, who now couldn't report his betrayal to Danzo, he erased all evidence of his presence in the area. Now all he had to is wait for the rebels to organize themselves and attack the palace, he thought to himself.

Midnight

Once it was midnight, Naruto observed that there were quite a few rebels, over a hundred in all. By their demeanor and weapons, they didn't look to be more than chunin-level in strength. Walking closer to the group and taking off his mask and headwear, he noticed Arashi near the front. He had to give the man perks for bravery.

"I see you came and brought your friends" said Naruto.

"Yes, I have, but I could only convince less than half the rebels" Arashi said a little dejected.

"That will be enough for what I have planned" Naruto said and right then he finished hand signs for one of favorite jutsu. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu" he shouted as a fifty Naruto's appeared in thin air.

"Wow, that many clones and their solid" said an amazed Arashi as murmurs of amazement and approval went through the group of rebels.

Naruto, however, was grew tired and pale as most of his chakra was siphoned off to his clones. 'Only fifty', he thought to himself. 'I really need to work on increasing my reserves' Naruto promised himself.

"Okay. I want twenty of your men, Arashi. They'll be coming with me as we attack the front of the palace. I want you to lead the rest of your men to attack the back of the palace ten minutes later when chaos breaks out" Naruto explained.

"But if your attacking the front, your going to need more men. The Damiao has most of the samurai stationed there, five hundred in all and we don't even know how many Konoha shinobi are there for protection either" Arashi tried to explain.

"Don't worry about that. I've got that covered. Just make sure your men discreetly kill any shinobi or otherwise that try to escape." Naruto said. Truth is, Naruto already summoned the fox clan members he wanted part of the offensive, and they are hidden via genjutsu in strategic locations.

The battle was quick and decisive. The samurai and loyal Rice shinobi didn't expect the rebels to attack in this organized and quick way tonight so they were cut down easily by Naruto's summons and clones and the rebels. After dispelling his shadow clones, Naruto and his partner Suzuki killed the couple of Root shinobi guarding the Damiao. Making his way to the Damiao, Naruto cut off his head much to the fanfare of the cheering crowds of rebels.

Seeing his red fox help him take down the Damiao's men and Konoha shinobi, the rebels began shouting "Red Fox, Red Fox, Red Fox!" Arashi came up to Naruto and said "Thank you, you saved our country and my clan. Truly, we are in your debt."

"You don't have to thank me. I was touched by your people's determination. Without it, I would never have helped you" Naruto said.

"Still, you are the hero of this country. What do we call you?" Arashi asked.

Thinking about it, Naruto concluded that he couldn't give his real name since he was still a Konoha shinobi. "Call me the Red Fox" he finally replied.

"Then to Red Fox-sama, Hero of Rice" Arashi yelled as the crowds cheered the same phrase.

"Alright, I have to go home now since I already helped you guys" said Naruto.

"Wait, you can't leave. We need a strong leader or we'll surely fall. You have to lead this country. You have to lead us" pleaded Arashi.

"Don't worry. I plan to return, but until then I appoint you Arashi as leader of Rice. In my absence, make sure no one enters Rice or leaves it. Information about what happened here tonight shouldn't leave this room. Especially make sure that no one learns how I look. And whatever you do, don't try to change the treaty the Damiao signed with Konoha" explained Naruto.

"Wait, what. But that's the reason we fought today. To be free of Konoha" said Arashi.

"We can eventually change the treaty. But if we rip it up right now, all we'll do is earn Konoha's wrath" Naruto said.

"Don't worry. I'll do my best to ensure Rice's safety until you return" Arashi promised confidently.

As Naruto left Rice to go back to Konoha, he told a dozen or so fox summons to stay in Rice and guard the place. He especially didn't want information of who saved Rice to reach Danzo.

One Day Later

"So what you're telling me is that you and your team entered Rice right after a rebellion occurred. And the new leader immediately sent shinobi after your team who were ambushed and all killed while you only survived because of the Kyuubi's chakra healing you?" asked Danzo frustratingly.

"Hai Danzo-sama. The perpetrators seemed to be using some kind of time stopping techniques" Naruto said.

Danzo just became even more frustrated. Who was this new leader who took over Rice? Was he a new threat to Konoha? There's no word of Rice changing the favorable treaties with Konoha. What is he up to, Danzo thought to himself. Yes, he would send a few teams to scout out the Fire-Rice border and maybe get a look at what's happening in the country.

Two Weeks Later

Naruto had some break time after mission after mission that Danzo put him through. He was never allowed to complain, but if he could he would certainly yell at Danzo for making him work so much. But Naruto could hardly blame him since he lost many of his shinobi in scouting missions to Rice, courtesy of Naruto's summons. He almost lost his composure and laughed when Danzo told him that his fourth team to Rice didn't come back at all. When Naruto told him that the enemy was using some kind of time-stopping techniques, he knew Danzo would waste valuable assets trying to find out what those techniques are and who uses them. Naruto wasn't completely lying, the fox's sound-based genjutsu acts as a sort of time-stopper because to one caught it in it, it seems his opponent's movements are going much faster. But Naruto couldn't just chuckle at Danzo's expense. He had a country to protect now and to properly to protect Rice, he had to gain proper intelligence about Danzo and Konoha in general. That's why he was going to use his break time to sneak into Danzo's office and library to find more about Danzo's and Konoha's secrets. Naruto created two shadow clones. He gave the first shadow clone just enough chakra that it wouldn't automatically dispel if someone hit it. He then had the second shadow clone use the Perfect Henge Technique to transform into a fly that would dispel to alert the real Naruto if there was trouble or if he was found out. Naruto learned many covert infiltration techniques from the old fox Watanabi including the Perfect Henge. These techniques allowed the fox clan to travel far and wide and learn many human chakra techniques. However, Perfect Henge required demonic fox chakra. Since the Fox Clan's chakra originated from Kurama they can use it as effectively as Naruto. As he left his room inside the base, he used the Perfect Henge Technique to transform into Danzo himself. Walking through the halls of the base, Naruto erased the memory of anyone who saw him using the Fox Clan's Memory Muddle Technique. It allows him to confuse and jumble someone's short term memory in this case so they don't remember that saw Danzo walking through the base or at least think they were only imagining it. Opening the door to Danzo's office and personal library, Naruto began to go through scroll after scroll. Naruto stopped sifting through scrolls when he came upon a scroll that had his name on it. Quickly reading it, Naruto was stunned when he read the results of his bloodwork. He is the son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. He took a step back as he tried to process this information. 'This is crazy. I can't be the Yondaime's son. He's the Golden Hokage and I'm just the demon brat, hated and reviled. This is impossible. If it were true, I would be the Golden Prince, just like Menma Namikaze' he thought. Then it hit Naruto like a brick wall. He was the abandoned child, used as the sacrifice a jinchuuriki is while his brother was loved and happy. He was tossed aside to live in the obscurity of ANBU while his brother was groomed to become the next Hokage to perpetuate Konoha's tyrannic rule over the world. 'No' Naruto thought, 'I will be second to none.' He would take over Konoha and bring a new order to the world. Then, there can finally be peace, he said to himself as he continued looking over scrolls pertaining to Konoha's power structure and Danzo's plans to take power.

Minato Namikaze was having another bad day as the paperwork in his office grew by the hour. It was all because of the power struggle between the Uchiha and Hyuuga, the two largest and most powerful clans in Konoha. Minato couldn't believe it, but he actually wished council meetings would become boring again. Nowadays, the Uchiha and Hyuuga factions were openly threatening each other and more than once, he had to order his ANBU to break up these heated exchanges before they spiraled into actual battles. They fought over everything: money, power, land, businesses, etc. Almost every issue brought before the council would end with the Hyuuga on one side and the Uchiha on the other. If Minato knew that marrying Mikoto would cause such strife in the village, he might have rethought the marriage proposal. On second thought, no he wouldn't. These days, he couldn't be happier he thought. He treasured every moment he had with her and he knew she dearly loved him back. Their daughter Narumi is turning three in a few days and Minato couldn't be more proud. She has his golden-yellow hair but Mikoto's deep, black eyes. However, what made Minato always smile was her mature attitude as she was always getting her nine year old brother Menma out of trouble. Yes, Minato wouldn't trade her or her mother for the world. He just had to find a solution to pacify those two power-hungry clans.

"Hey, gaki. I see your still enjoying all the paperwork" said an amused Jiraiya.

Hearing his sensei's voice broke Minato out of his thoughts. "Ah, it's nice to see you sensei. Where have you been. You've been gone for two weeks, and no one has heard from you" Minato replied.

"Yeah, before we get to that, you should know that the Hyuuga accepted the marriage contract between Menma Uzumaki Namikaze and Hinata Hyuuga" Jiraiya replied.

"Whew. I'm glad. I just hope that will be enough to pacify Hiashi. He can be a real stick sometimes" Minato replied.

"You don't seem too concerned that essentially forcing your son into a marriage he has no idea about. You didn't even leave in a clause where he can get out if he doesn't love Hyuuga heiress" said a concerned Jiraiya.

"I know you see Menma as a grandson, but we have to think about the village on this one. I've been hearing rumours of some of the Main House elders of the Hyuuga planning some kind rebellion to force the village to give more concessions to them. I had to make sure to end any thoughts of rebellion before they become cemented and putting a clause like that would make them think we're not being honest" Minato explained.

"Alright, I just hope they actually fall in love. If Menma falls for another girl, it could be disastrous" Jiraiya replied.

"I know that. That's why going to have them be together as much as possible from now on" Minato said. He just wished that Hinata becomes Menma's Mikoto. From what Minato saw of the girl the few he met her, she is bit shy, but a good girl.

"What are you going to do about the Uchiha." asked Jiraiya.

"Honestly, I don't know. I've given them everything they could want. I've allowed them to join the regular forces, instead of just the Military Police. I've reduced the Uchiha's tensions and suspicions with the other clans by debunking the theory that they had anything to do with Kyuubi attack or that they Kyuubi was controlled by a Sharingan-based genjutsu. I've given them more land and businesses. And through my marriage with Mikoto and daughter Narumi, the Uchiha have become preeminent in Konoha and the Land of Fire. I didn't even ask for any concessions from the Uchiha that the other clans were demanding like providing secret jutsus for the Konoha Archive Library because the Uchiha have copied so many techniques of other clans with their all-seeing Sharingan. I seriously don't know what else I can do for them. I just don't understand Fugaku. What is he playing at?" explained Minato.

"He may just be jealous about you marrying his wife. It was humiliating for him and since he's Head of the Uchiha Clan and the Uchiha Military Police, he might just be giving you a headache on purpose" suggested Jiraiya.

"I hope your right, Jiraiya. Regardless, I'm going to take a harder line with the Uchiha from now on. If the carrot doesn't work, then the only thing left is the stick. Since the most of the Uchiha clan supports me and Mikoto, hopefully Fugaku will change course or be replaced" Minato replied.

"That's a good plan. But there is one more thing you should know, the Land of Rice went through a coup d'etat" Jiraiya said.

"What! When did this happen" exclaimed Minato.

"Two weeks ago" answered Jiraiya.

"And you waited that long to tell me about it" Minato said incredulously.

"I had to make sure it was true. They didn't change any policies or treaties towards us, but when my contacts in the region stopped reporting to me, I knew something was up. I've been investigating the Rice border for the past few weeks. At first I couldn't find anything, but when I went inside I was attacked with powerful sound-based genjutsu cast by invisible things. I'm not sure they were even human. I had to make a quick retreat before I could observe the country" Jiraiya explained.

"Their invisible? And they're not human?" asked Minato disbelievingly. This sounded too much like a horror movie he watched with his family a few months ago.

"It might have been powerful genjutsu to make themselves invisible, though. I don't know. I didn't think I would encounter such powerful genjutsu outside the Kurama or Uchiha clans. And they certainly didn't fight like they walked on two feet" Jiraiya clarified.

"Do you think they're a threat? Should I send a couple of squads of Konoha shinobi to restore the royal family of Rice" asked Minato.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. We have no idea of the kind of defense they have right now so we might just be sending Konoha shinobi to their deaths unnecessarily. They probably killed off the entire royal family and most of the nobles by now. Anybody left would be too far from the royal line to matter and if there's no one legitimate enough to take the throne, it could throw Rice into endless civil wars and destabilize the wider region. Besides, we're not officially supposed to be in the country that's why we had Root protect the Damiao. If other countries get wind of cracks in the Southern Alliance, it could jeopardize our entire foreign policy" Jiraiya explained in detail.

"Yeah you're right. But I still want you to keep trying to get information about the country, its defenses, and the ruling clique" Minato said.

"Consider it taken care of" Jiraiya said confidently. "But tonight, how about we get a few drinks and hit the bar. Maybe meet a few ladies" he suggested slyly.

"I'm married and have kids, Jiraiya. What do you think Mikoto is going to say if I come home past midnight" Minato asked.

"Oh loosen up. This job's going to get you faster than you realize. You need some time to relax. Just tonight, come with me to the bar. You can't deny your poor, old sensei now can you" said Jiraiya.

"Alright, just for tonight" Minato said as he got up to leave. Jiraiya was right; he couldn't deny his sensei who did so much for him. He was just an orphan from a no name clan, but he made him his apprentice, taught him his most secretive and powerful techniques, and put him on the path to becoming Hokage. But as Minato locked the door to his office, he just knew he was going to regret this in the morning.

Fugaku Uchiha couldn't be more excited. He was finally finishing up his plans to seize control of Konoha. Ever since that fool Minato took power, he has been giving the Uchiha more and more rights and now they had enough influence to stage an open rebellion. Ever since the Uchiha were allowed to join the regular forces, many of his clansmen quickly rose to positions of power through their prowess in the ninja arts. Now they would use this influence by holding vital buildings in Konoha hostage until their demands are met including more land and most of the businesses west of the Uchiha compound as well as more power and rights in the Konoha Council. He would now show that brat Minato who's really in charge of Konoha. And he would show Mikoto just how big of a mistake she made when she chose to divorce him for that brat of a hokage. Fugaku sincerely loved Mikoto and had two wonderful sons because of her: Itachi, a clan prodigy, and Sasuke, who is not far behind. He always knew that Mikoto didn't love him as much as he loved her, but he always thought they shared a special connection. But apparently, their entire marriage was a lie since immediately after Kushina's death, she threw herself to Minato. Fugaku just couldn't come up with an answer for her baffling behavior. Was he, the Uchiha Clan Head and Commander of the Military Police Force, that much inferior to the supposed Golden Hokage that she would rather be Minato's second than his first. Ever since the day Mikoto abruptly ended their marriage, he gained the power to seek his revenge: the legendary Mangekyou sharingan. With this power, even Minato's Hiraishin will become useless to his Susano'o since kunais can't get through the chakra armour. As Fugaku kept thinking about his power, he couldn't help but get even more excited. The only thing that lowered Fugaku's good mood is thinking about his wayward son, Itachi. He should have never sent him to Root. The only reason he did it was because back then the Uchiha clan was severely ostracized in the village and it was good to have an ally like Danzo. But ever since Itachi joined, he has become more and more emotionless and his love for the clan was slowly replaced with love for the village. He just knew that the accusations that his son had anything to do with Shisui Uchiha's death were wrong. Fugaku only hoped that Itachi made the right choice and chose his clan and his father in the end. With his prodigy son at his side and the Mangekyou, no one would be able to stop him. Yes, soon, everyone will speak his name in fear and awe.

Three Weeks Later

Minato was furious. He just got wind that the Fugaku was planning a rebellion even though he gave him concession after concession without asking for anything in return. Even more frustratingly, it was Danzo that brought him this information and that old warhawk just had to rub it in by reminding him that it was his policies that reversed Nidaime Hokage's laws that isolated the Uchiha, allowed them to infiltrate every sect of Konoha's forces. The only saving grace in the whole mess is that only about twenty shinobi joined Fugaku with the vast majority of the Uchiha Clan supporting Mikoto and him. If hundreds of Uchiha clansmen decided to openly rebel, Konoha would be plunged into a disastrous civil war that would likely start a Fourth Great Shinobi War. However, twenty highly trained Uchiha clansmen can still do a lot of damage and hold key areas hostage, putting the village into a standstill. Minato knew he would have deal with this quietly and swiftly. But first, he would have to consult with Mikoto. He couldn't have this incident hurt his relationship with his beloved wife. After a couple more minutes of contemplation, Minato heard a knock on his door as Mikoto entered the room.

"You called for me, Minato? You know you don't have to send those ANBU to have a chat with me" Mikoto said playfully.

"I'm sorry for calling you like that Mikoto-chan, but this is important" Minato said.

"What could it possibly be" Mikoto asked worriedly.

"Fugaku is leading a rebellion with twenty of his clansmen. They plan to hold key areas of the village hostage" Minato said.

"What? What are you going to do?" asked an anxious Mikoto.

"I'm going to have to end the rebellion with my ANBU. You know we have been having negotiation after negotiation with him and now he's planning this" Minato said with a hint of finality.

Mikoto couldn't imagine Fugaku dead. She always knew that he loved her even though he never showed it and spent almost no time with her or the boys. Even though she thought that he got over the divorce, she knew this rebellion must be driven by jealous rage and deep down, she didn't want to be the cause of her former husband's death.

"Can you try again, Minato. For me. I just don't want to see so many of my clansmen die" answered Mikoto.

Minato knew the time for talking was over and the time for action was now. But he couldn't disappoint his Mikoto. 'What to do? What to do? Ah, that's it. All I have to do is order Danzo's Root forces to stop the rebellion. Then, I could explain to Mikoto that Danzo went against orders and killed the perpetrators of the rebellion. Then he could accuse Danzo of killing prominent Uchiha clan members to harvest their eyes. This would allow him to execute Danzo and kill the Root forces involved in the incident. With this plan, he could get the Root forces, which have been so helpful in underhanded and morally ambiguous missions, under his thumb and Mikoto could get justice for Fugaku. Everyone would win' he thought to himself.

'Alright, Mikoto-chan. For you, I'll try negotiation one more time" Minato said lovingly.

Mikoto was so happy and proud that she had such an understanding husband that she went and hugged Minato tightly. This just made her love Minato that much more.

One Day Later

"You call for me, Hokage-sama" said Danzo neutrally.

"Yes, I want you to use your Root forces to quash the Fugaku's rebellion. When you are done, report to me the details of the mission. Failure is not an option" said Minato coolly.

Danzo thought about this order. It was certainly unusual. A Hokage would want to use his own ANBU forces to keep control of this situation. 'Unless, Minato wants to use this as an excuse to finally get rid of me' Danzo thought. Well, Danzo's been playing this game since this brat's parents were in diapers. 'All I have to do is have Kitsune lead the mission to end the rebellion. Minato can't execute the Kyuubi jinchuuriki and will be forced to sweep this under the rug' Danzo thought to himself strategically.

"Hai, I understand" Danzo replied as he got up to leave.

As Danzo left his office, Minato knew that this went too smoothly. Danzo didn't even complain or anything. 'What you are planning, Danzo' Minato thought to himself.

Later That Day

As Naruto walked into Danzo's office, he knew something big was up. The entire base was in chaos all day.

"You called for me, Danzo-sama" Naruto said kneeling.

"Yes, you are to lead a mission vital to village security. Make no mistake, this is the most important mission you have ever been involved in. Failure is not an option. Do you accept" asked, more like demanded, Danzo.

"Hai, Danzo-sama" said Naruto immediately.

"Then you are to lead a mission to stop the rebellion of twenty Uchiha clansmen led by the Head of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku Uchiha. Read this scroll. It contains the the mission specifics and parameters. This information comes directly from our operative Karasu: Itachi Uchiha. The rebellion begins tomorrow at daybreak. Assemble your teams and be ready to stop the rebellion before it begins" Danzo ordered.

"Hai Danzo-sama" Naruto said as he disappeared in a shunshin of wind.

The Next Day

Naruto was nervous but also excited. Today, he would stop the Uchiha revolt to take over the village. He already divided his Root ANBU into five teams of ten team-members each to protect the five areas the Uchiha were going to attack today. Since Fugaku only had twenty shinobi to command, he knew fifty shinobi, almost a third of Root's forces, was a bit overkill. But he also knew that it never pays to underestimate highly trained Uchiha clansmen whose battle prowess is legendary. He knew that the ultimate challenge was going to be taking down Fugaku and his men who were attacking the the essential water processing plant in the north side of the village. Fugaku was an Elite Jounin before becoming the Uchiha Clan Head and it was not going to be easy fighting him, especially without his summons since they would be fighting inside the village and Naruto couldn't have anyone know about his summons just yet. That's why he gave specific orders to the crow-masked operative Karasu, aka Itachi, to have his team quickly dispatch their opponents so he could help him take Fugaku. Naruto just hoped all this preparation is enough.

As Naruto and his nine teammates hid in the trees close to the water plant, they saw Fugaku and three other Uchiha enter the water treatment facility. After a while, they heard screams which were growing feinter by the minute. They were given specific orders to wait for the Uchiha to use their Sharingan to put all the workers in their genjutsu before engaging. No one is to know of this clandestine operation. Hearing the screams all but extinguished, Naruto addressed his team.

"Okay, I want you guys to split up into three teams of three and take down one of the clansmen Fugaku brought with him each while I take down Fugaku alone. Once you are done with your opponent, I want you to immediately come help me with Fugaku" Naruto ordered.

"Hai, Taichou-sama" they said in unison as they left to complete their tasks.

Entering the water plant, Naruto found Fugaku leaning absentmindedly on one of the railings while his subordinates fought off teams of Root ANBU.

Seeing Naruto calmly getting closer to him, Fugaku said "So the Hokage sent me a brat pretending to be ANBU. How insulting."

Not keen on starting a conversation, Naruto did the tiger seal and shouted "Shadow Clone Jutsu" as three copies of him appeared. They each quickly did the same hand seals and shouted "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough" as hurricane-level winds traveled towards Fugaku.

Fugaku was stunned at the speed and power of this kid's jutsu. 'He must have insane reserves' he thought to himself. However, his Sharingan quickly told him the path to go to avoid the jutsu. Avoiding the destructive technique, Fugaku did his own hand seals and shouted "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu" as a large ball of fire consumed Naruto. Seeing the charred body of Naruto puff out of existence, Fugaku instantly became alert. His Sharingan showing him that the real Naruto is behind him and preparing to strike him with tanto, Fugaku instantly did hand seals for another jutsu. Blocking the tanto with his chakra-covered boot, Fugaku shouted "Fire Release: Fire Phoenix Jutsu."

Naruto felt a deep pain as his face and chest were hit with multiple fireballs. Once all was set and done, Naruto barely had a shirt left as charred skin was clearly visible. Luckily, his mask protected from the worst wounds to his face; however, in the process he lost his headwear and his Fox mask fell down on the floor, cracked and broken into multiple pieces. As the Kyuubi's chakra began healing his wounds, Naruto thought to himself 'So this is the power of the Sharingan. Its legendary power has certainly not been exaggerated. I'm going to have up the ante if I'm going to have a chance to survive.'

Seeing the long, dark red hair and whisker marks, Fugaku started laughing saying, "Ha ha ha. So that Minato-brat sent the Jinchuuriki after me. I'm honored. For all the Uchiha clansmen slain on the day of your cursed birth, I'm going to enjoy killing you" Fugaku said maniacally. Lost in conversation, Fugaku didn't notice Naruto running to the other side of the building until it was too late. "Hey, where are you running off to? Realized it's futile to fight against the Sharingan?" Fugaku asked. However, he became wide eyed seeing Naruto use his tanto to cut the main pipe of the water plant as gallons upon gallons of water rushed into the building.

Seeing the place partly submerged, Naruto smirked as he said "Let us see which is greater: my mastery over the water element and your mastery of the Sharingan."

Naruto quickly went through the necessary hand seals and shouted "Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu." As a strong mist surrounded the building, Naruto made the tiger seal and shouted "Shadow Clone Jutsu" as seven shadow clone jutsus surrounded Fugaku. Not letting up, Naruto and his clones kept making hand seals, shouting "Water Release: Water Canon Jutsu" as eight strong beam of boiling water traveled at lightning speeds towards Fugaku.

Fugaku stood there astonished for a moment at the speed and mastery over Naruto this young kid had over water. Quickly, getting his bearings straight, Fugaku disappeared in a mirage-like flicker from the place where eight boiling beams of water collided in a spectacular explosion. Fugaku then instantly appeared behind real Naruto and punched the back of his head.

Naruto landed roughly on the ground. 'This is going to leave a headache in the morning' he thought to himself. Before Naruto could even get his bearings straight, Fugaku appeared right in front of him and punched him again, this time square in the nose. Naruto quickly backflipped three times before stabilizing himself. Holding his bloody and broken nose, Naruto thought 'how is he doing this? It's like he's instantly transporting himself to wherever I am. Either that or he's stopping time. Oh, how could I be such an idiot; its genjutsu. Flaring his chakra and shouting "Kai" multiple times, Naruto mentally thanked that old fox Watanabi for all his lessons on genjutsu. Remembering to not look at a Sharingan user in the eyes, Naruto stared at Fugaku's feet to try and predict his movements. Naruto knew that things were not looking good, he was running out of chakra after using so many high-level techniques and he hasn't been able land even a scratch on the Uchiha head. Seeing that he's not good enough in taijutsu, Naruto took out his tanto, quickly completed the necessary hand signs, and shouted "Wind Release: Vacuum Blade" as a hazy, almost visible, layer of wind chakra coated his favorite weapon.

"So you realized you were stuck in an illusion and you managed to dispel one of my stronger multilayered genjutsu, you are indeed impressive, young jinchuuriki. You've shown great skill in ninjutsu, but let us see how you fare in kenjutsu" taunted Fugaku as he dodged a swipe from Naruto.

Fugaku beautifully dodged or blocked all of Naruto's blows as though he was in a dance competition rather than fighting in a life or death battle, his speed and sharingan's predictive ability allowing him to easily foresee all of Naruto's moves.

'He's mocking me. Very well, I will use his overconfidence against him' thought Naruto as he made vertical swipe against Fugaku's chest. Seeing Fugaku dodge his swipe, a clone of Naruto made tried to make an upward slash against Fugaku's back.

"Oh so your learning. But that doesn't matter. My eyes can see all" declared Fugaku as he effortlessly began to dodge the clone's slash.

Seeing Fugaku dodging the clone, Naruto instantly made two more clones of himself and all three made different swipes against Fugaku. Fugaku, seeing that he couldn't dodge them all, decided to take a downward slash of one of the clones while dodging the all others. Fugaku kneeled as blood dripped from the wound on his shoulder.

Seeing what his overconfidence and bluster cost him in battle, Fugaku decided to end their little excitement. The three tomoe in his Sharingan eyes combined into a pinwheel-like pattern.

Naruto was too stunned to move. He heard about the legendary eyes of Madara Uchiha that were said to so powerful they could tame even the tailed beasts.

"Run away, kit. You can't fight those cursed eyes. Get away now" Kurama screamed inside Naruto's head.

"By your expression, I see you know what these eyes are capable of. Yes, these are the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan. And with it, I shall be your demise" promised Fugaku as Naruto's entire world turned black and white. He found himself on a tied to a cross as seemingly thousands of copies of himself were also tied to similar crosses. Even more horrifyingly, each crucified copy of himself had a devilish Fugaku with a sword in front of them. Realizing that this must be a genjutsu, Naruto kept flaring his chakra to of no avail.

"You are in the world of the Tsukiyomi. You're in my world now. And time moves differently here than in the outside world. In here, I'm going to torture you for seventy-two hours while outside only a second will have passed. Raising, his sword, Fugaku stabbed Naruto in the leg. Hearing Naruto's screams, Fugaku said "only seventy-one hours fifty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds left" as he stabbed Naruto on the other leg.

However, Naruto experienced only thirty hours of excruciating pain and found himself kicked aside by a stoic-looking Itachi Uchiha without his crow-mask. "This battle is beyond you, now. I will take it from here" Itachi said without even glancing at Naruto's direction.

"Itachi, my son, what are you doing? Do you intend to fight against your own father?" asked Fugaku as concern etched into his once booming voice as Mangekyou returned to its normal Sharingan form.

"Yes" Itachi replied, not losing his stoic demeanor as neither his face nor his body showed any conflict at all.

"I see. You have become one of Danzo's emotionless tools. You're the one who's been spying for Danzo and the Hokage. You're the one who ruined this day for us" Fugaku said sadly. "I'm sorry, Itachi, for making you go through Root. I can't imagine the kinds of things that sick man did to you. You have endured so much for the Uchiha Clan. If there is any part of the Itachi I used to know, please lay down your weapons and join me. For your father. For the Uchiha" said Fugaku passionately.

"I am a not a mere tool of Danzo and I will not be your tool either. You will bring ruin to the Uchiha. What exactly do you hope to gain by rebelling against the Village, our very home. Even if you succeed, you will lose all your bargaining chips when you cede control of places you are holding hostage. This is just a misguided crusade for revenge and I will end it before you can embarrass the Clan any further" said Itachi emotionlessly.

"I see, so you have made your decision. Very well. Live with the consequences, then" declared an angry Fugaku as he reactivated his Mangekyou Sharingan. To his utter surprise, his son activated a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan as well. Dumbfounded, Fugaku asked "Did you really kill Shisui to gain those eyes?" demanded Fugaku angrily.

"No I did not. I would never kill an Uchiha without just cause" said Itachi matter-of-factly. "I gained these eyes when I killed two of our clansmen in your rebellion, father" said an impassive Itachi.

"Well then, let us see who has greater visual prowess: the son or the father" declared Fugaku as he activated his Susano'o. Right then, a large, blue skeleton with samurai armour, a sword, and a shield surrounded Fugaku. At the same time, a purple skeleton with similar armour, sword and shield surrounded Itachi. Both family members approached each other in steps that shook the entire the building. Then they clashed swords in an explosion of wind and chakra that blew Naruto a couple of feet back. Still reeling from thirty straight hours of physical and psychological torture, Naruto could only stare at these two titans facing off, paralyzed with fear and depression. He actually thought that he could face off against Fugaku Uchiha. Even without his Mangekyou, he was dominating their fight. Without, Itachi, he certainly would be dead. And there's a whole clan of Uchihas. As Naruto kept seeing images of hundreds upon hundreds of Sharingans glaring at him, he started hitting his head on the pavement to get rid of those cursed eyes in his head. Ahh. He thought he could actually take over Konoha and protect Rice when he couldn't even protect himself.

"Get a hold of yourself, kit. You need to get out of here" Kurama pleaded as another explosion of chakra and wind happened, this time closer to Naruto's location as parts of the ceiling started falling apart. Seeing that Naruto wasn't going to move anytime soon, Kurama yelled in Naruto's mindscape as loudly as he could "KIT, WAKE UP. SO WHAT YOU LOST ONE BATTLE. DO YOU WANT TO THROW IT ALL AWAY. DO YOU WANT TO PROVE MINATO RIGHT WHEN HE THREW YOU OUT" yelled the Kyuubi.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Naruto screamed as Kurama screamed inside his head as his blinding headache from Fugaku's punches returned with a vengeance. As the Naruto's headache began to numb, Naruto sluggishly dodged a piece of the ceiling as Itachi and Fugaku continued to clash swords. Dodging parts of the ceiling and debris flying in the air, Naruto thought about what Kurama said. He was right. He couldn't throw everything away because he lost this battle. He could get stronger only if he survives this day. Picking up his tanto, Naruto watched the battle keenly, looking for any weakness in Fugaku he could exploit.

As the battle progressed between father and son, Fugaku soon realized he would run out of chakra soon so he went back to his human form because of his previous taxing battle with Naruto and thought of a new plan.

"Looks like this battle has been decided, father" said Itachi stoically seeing as his father has run out of chakra.

"Don't get cocky, brat. Who do you think helped Shisui perfect his shunshin. Try to see if you can catch me" challenged Fugaku. True to his word, Fugaku was insanely fast with his shunshin. Teleporting from one location to another, Itachi became more and more frustrated. He knew he was running out of chakra, just like his father he couldn't keep this form forever, and in a straight fight with him, he would likely lose. 'I needed to end this quickly, but how?' he thought.

Before Itachi could come up with an answer, Fugaku said in a booming voice "You know there are other secrets to the Mangekyou other than Susano'o. Allow me to show you. Amaterasu" Fugaku said as a black fire began consuming Itachi's Susano'o. Then, Fugaku finished his hand signs and shouted "Wind Release: Wind Dragon" as a dragon made of pure wind chakra consumed Itachi's Susano'o, amplifying the black flames of Amaterasu to even greater heights.

When the area cleared, Itachi was found in the center of a large crater with his looking charred and broken as he multiple was bleeding from multiple areas.

Activating Susano'o only on his arm and wielding the blue chakra sword, Fugaku declared "the last of my chakra. I'm proud of you" he said to a wide eyed Itachi who saw in slow motion, thanks to his Sharingan, Naruto stabbing his tanto through his father's back and out his chest before the Susano'o sword could reach him. "My son… always" Fugaku choked out as he breathed his last. Itachi could only stare ahead, stunned at the revelation and the fact that he couldn't get the image of Naruto stabbing his father in the back out of his head. Thanks to his Sharingan, he memorized every last excruciating detail.

"We should get out here. The others finished fighting their opponents. We have to meet up with the other squads at the rendezvous" Naruto said.

Staring at Naruto with sheer loathing, Itachi only managed to squeak out a "Hai" as he turned to leave. Itachi feared if he stayed with Naruto a minute longer, he might be liable to kill his taichou.

Once Itachi left, Naruto asked what the Kyuubi wanted.

"I want to pluck one of the Sharingans off the dead bodies and keep it with you for later" Kurama said.

"What? No way. I am not getting near one of those cursed eyes" Naruto said with an air of finality.

"Look, think about this, kit. Danzo's probably coming here soon with his goons to snatch up the rest of the sharingans. You experienced that unbreakable genjutsu. Do you want to be that helpless again?" asked the Kyuubi.

"No. But those things disgust. I'm never putting them on even if I am helpless to that Tsuki-whatever-that-was" Naruto answered.

"Look, I experienced a similar genjutsu when I attacked Konoha. Do you think I enjoy taking pitiful human lives for fun? No, I'm much too advanced for that. However, I was controlled by a Mangekyou Sharingan, an unbreakable genjutsu that instead of torturing you for seventy-two hours instead takes away all you free will. Do you want to be a mere puppet to Danzo or Itachi's whims" asked Kurama seriously.

"No" Naruto replied. "But can I really pluck out my own eye and replace it with someone else's" Naruto asked.

"You actually don't have to put one on. You just have to have your fox summons partner use it. He's the one who specializes in genjutsu, not you so he might be better able to take advantage of it. And in the eventuality someone tries to control us using those cursed eyes, your partner will recognize it and he'll be able to get us out of the genjutsu" explained Kurama.

"You're right. That does make sense. But whose should I take? I should give Suzuki Fugaku's Mangekyou Sharingan" said Naruto.

"No. That's too obvious. If even one of Fugaku's eyes are missing, they'll immediately blame us. Take a normal Sharingan from that half-burnt body to your right. Take the Sharingan from the burnt side and burn that side even further to make it seem like the eye melted, along with the rest of that side of his body, due to the flames" explained Kurama.

After doing what Kurama suggested, Naruto left to the rendezvous point as Root shinobi began filling the area to presumably harvest the remaining Sharingans for Danzo.

Later That Night

"This is your full report, Hokage-sama" Danzo told Minato respectfully.

"So what you are saying that all the bodies of the Uchiha clansmen you were ordered to apprehend were burned in the course of the battles? All of them?" Minato asked angrily. Danzo likely harvested twenty pairs of Sharingans. Only Kami knows what he plans to do with them, he thought.

"Hai, the battles were more intense than we thought and many of my shinobi specialize in Fire Technique" answered Danzo.

"Most Konoha shinobi specialize in the Fire element. That doesn't mean they go around burning every enemy they encounter" replied a frustrated Minato. "Ah, forget it. Tell me more about this mission" ordered Minato.

"Well, everything went without a hitch, Hokage-sama. We only have two Root shinobi in critical condition, but the medics believe they'll make a recovery. Our operative, Kitsune, is indeed a fine leader. He has led many missions in the past, but it was during this mission he really shined. He and Karasu managed to take down Fugaku Uchiha."

"Really, who is this Kitsune" asked Minato.

"Oh, you know him as Naruto. He has indeed grown up to be a fine tool" Danzo replied.

Minato felt a sinking feeling in his gut when he heard that name. His entire plan shattered by Danzo's cunning. Minato can't pin this whole affair on Danzo now that the leader of the mission was Naruto because he just can't execute Naruto. Not just because Naruto might be his son, but also because people would start to wonder why they executed their jinchuuriki and if they are having a hard time controlling him. If that happens, villages like Kumo and Iwa, which each have two jinchuurikis, might smell weakness and be inclined to attack. He now had to sweep this whole incident under the rug. 'Ah, curse you Danzo' thought Minato. He would have to consult Jiraiya about all this. He needed to bring Danzo down, one way or another.

"That is all. You are dismissed" said Minato.

Seeing his revelation having the effect he wanted, Danzo internally smirked. "Have a nice day, Hokage-sama" he said, keeping his ever-stoic face.

The Next Day

Naruto was finally released from that cursed hospital where all the medics look at him with barely disguised hate. Seriously, if they didn't want him in there so badly, why did they have to keep him a full day. As Naruto left the hospital, a cat-masked ANBU appeared in front of him.

"You are wanted, by order of the Hokage" the ANBU said emotionlessly.

"Lead the way" said Naruto as the ANBU put a hand on his shoulder and in a shunshin of leaves, Naruto found himself in the Hokage's office in the Hokage Tower.

Kneeling, Naruto said as emotionlessly as he could "You called for me, Hokage-sama."

"Yes, due to your stellar performances in Root, you are leaving this secret organization and joining the Shinobi Academy. You will join the class made up by peers your age. Since they are now in their second year, you will be skipping the first year. Do you understand?" asked Minato.

Honestly, seeing Naruto's stoic face as he addressed him formally, hurt a little. 'He is acting just like Danzo acted yesterday in here' Minato thought to himself. After Danzo left his office, Minato consulted with Jiraiya who agreed that Naruto being the Kyuubi wouldn't make sense if we consider all the missions he completed for Konoha and his loyalty to the Leaf. From the records, he acts just like any other Root shinobi. However, he couldn't just go up to Naruto and tell him that he is his father. So Minato decided to send Naruto to the Academy to hopefully make some lasting bonds and break out his Root programming like Kakashi did when he joined a team. If he is able to make friends, it would be incontrovertible proof that Naruto is human since Tailed Beasts can't understand human emotions. Minato just hopes that Naruto accepts going to the Academy and this conversation with him goes better than the one he had with Mikoto. When she heard that Danzo and his Root were responsible for the death of her former husband and dozens of her clansmen, she was livid and out for blood. He had to calm her down and promise her that they would get justice for them all, but not by causing a civil war and more bloodshed.

Naruto was stunned by the Hokage's order. He did so well in ANBU he's being demoted to the Academy? Yeah right. 'What is the Hokage's game' Naruto thought. However, being just an Academy student would give him more time to rebuild Rice, train to get stronger, and enact his plan to take over Konoha. Yes, this would work out just fine, Naruto thought to himself.

"Hai Hokage-sama" said Naruto with a blank expression.

Minato didn't expect such a quick and emotionless response. But what could he expect from a Root shinobi. He just hoped that Naruto doesn't stay like this forever.

"Then you are dismissed" said Minato as Naruto then disappeared in a shunshin of wind.

I hoped you enjoy these new chapters. Next is the Academy arc as Naruto begins his plans to take control of Konoha and build Rice. Relationships with the clan heirs will also be prominent in the next arc. I plan on only a small harem for Naruto with Anko being the main relationship. Please comment and review! I do read them. Suffice is to say, this won't be just another neglect fic. I will be skewing away from plot of the manga and overused cliches. Naruto will have unique powers that will develop slowly.


	4. Chapter 4

One Week Later

Naruto awoke in a cold spell with his muscles tense and sweat pouring down from his silky, red hair. He once again had the same dream; hundreds of Sharingans are glaring at him while Fugaku is laughing at him in the backyard and he is being stabbed over and over again. Naruto got out of creaky bed to go to the small kitchen he had in his one-bedroom apartment. He suddenly needed a drink. Opening the faucet, he saw a brown liquid drip into the sink. Seriously, Naruto was contemplating going back to the Root Base he spent the last four years. At least there, he had a comfortable bed and could drink clear water when he wanted to. Naruto stopped himself from thinking about this further; it was not helping his mood.

"Another sleepless night?" Kurama asked.

"Yeah, what of it?" asked Naruto.

"What of it?" Kurama repeated. "You've barely been sleeping for the past week" the Kyuubi accused.

"I'll be fine" Naruto stated. Before Kurama could continue the conversation, he said "look, I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Since you're finally awake why don't you do something useful and teach me some of your techniques" Naruto urged.

"Seriously, ever since you met those foxes, you've grown an attitude. I should have left you as an emotionless Root" Kurama charged.

"Yada yada yada. Look, I need to get stronger soon. I don't have time for your little mind games right now" Naruto said hurriedly.

"What happened to 'I don't need you, I can get stronger on my own' " asked an amused Kurama.

"That was before I spent the last week trying to learn techniques only to learn that my jutsus are getting weaker as time moves on. I almost died during the last mission. I can't get weaker. I need to get stronger" demanded Naruto.

"Don't blame me for failings, little human. I'm not in the mood. I'll start teaching you what I know when you start learning the sealing arts" said Kurama.

"You know, you're not in a position to barter considering if I die because you didn't train me, you'll become part of the Shinigami" Naruto asserted.

"That my very well be true. However, if I die then you also die. Besides, it's been four years since we met and you still haven't studied this seal. I'm growing impatient" said Kurama.

"You know that I was too busy learning from Danzo and completing missions to do that. Besides, Danzo watches his operatives like a hawk. We now have more freedom" said Naruto.

"Not necessarily. There's one ANBU operative watching us from the treeline behind your apartment" Kurama told him.

"Yeah, my father probably wants to keep track of my movements after leaving Root. He is seriously making me annoyed. He apparently told me he only has enough funds for me to buy this crappy apartment far away from the Civilian Residential District, but is paying his agents to take shifts watching me" Naruto said exasperated.

"You know that if you lived close to that area, you would kill all the civilians who try to take your life at night for their insolence, causing an investigation and outcry in the village" Kurama tried to explain.

"But all the nice houses are near the Civilian District, probably because ninja have little use for glamour. Regardless, I don't plan to live here long. Once I begin my plans, all will be completed. But I can't start those plans if I keep getting weaker" Naruto said.

"Look, I'll help you if you start studying the sealing arts" Kurama said.

"Fine. I'll go to the Konoha Archive Library tonight and look up what they have for sealing. Now what can teach me" asked Naruto hurriedly.

"The first thing you have to know, kit, is that I have never learned or used human chakra techniques. Since I am a being made out of chakra, I have complete control over it. I use pure chakra manipulation" said Kurama.

"So what about elements? How do you add power to your techniques?"asked Naruto.

"I don't think you're understanding me. I don't add any elements to my jutsus at all. I don't change the composition of my chakra into those elements you humans have figured out. I attack with pure chakra by manipulating it inside my body and releasing it in its natural state outside my body" said Kurama.

"So you attack with pure chakra alone? How does that hurt your enemies?" asked Naruto.

"Well take my Tailed Beast Ball as an example. I don't add any elements to it, but its able to deal large scale destructive damage to my enemies because of its very dense nature and because it's spinning at an incredibly fast rate." explained Kurama.

"Can you teach me the Tailed Beast Ball or is it something that only tailed beasts can do?" Naruto asked.

"Like I said, the reason I am able to do this kind of technique is because I have complete mastery of my chakra since I'm a being made solely out of it. Theoretically, if you work on your chakra control and have precise chakra control, you could develop your own variant" said Kurama.

"Dammit. I have barely average chakra control. I'll never be able to do your techniques" complained Naruto.

"That's not necessarily true. Right now you know a lot of powerful wind and water techniques. Learning more isn't going to make you that much stronger. But if you gain precise chakra control, you'll become much more efficient and be able to do more jutsus in battle with less cost" described Kurama.

"But I have huge reserves, jounin level by now, and they're only going to get larger. It'll take a long time for me to get all that chakra under control. And what do you mean I can develop my own variant. Can't you teach me yours?" asked Naruto.

"Do I have to keep repeating myself. I'm a being made of chakra so I can do chakra manipulation instinctively. I don't know how I would teach it to somebody. But if you gain precise control of your chakra, you could develop your own variants" clarified Kurama.

"Do you realize how long it would take for me to get that level of control? And then I would have to develop my own Tailed Beast Ball?" Naruto asked exasperated.

"All things come with patience, kit. Besides, what else do you plan to? Learn more of those human chakra techniques?" Kurama suggested.

"No, like you said, I know enough chakra techniques. You're probably right. Getting better chakra control is probably the only way to get stronger now other than developing my taijutsu. I already know the tree climbing and water walking exercises. Where can I learn other control exercises?" Naruto asked himself aloud in his mindscape. "Whatever, I'll think about this later. I need to get ready. It's the first day of the Academy after all" Naruto added.

"In that case, I'll go back to my slumber" Kurama said.

Naruto went over to his closet. He didn't go and buy any new clothes for the Academy. He has his Root gear, which to him is sufficient. Besides, he doesn't plan to draw attention to himself, at least not yet. Putting on his black ANBU shirt and his black ANBU jacket over it, he noted their strength and versatility to allow movement. After he put on his black ANBU pants and sandals, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and brush his hair. Looking himself over, he was glad that he bought that oil that made his dark, red hair now completely straight and freely flowing down to his shoulders. He did not want to go to class with hair that's a red version of his father's or his brother's: curly, wavy, and standing out at the top. Locking the door to his apartment, Naruto made his way to the Academy.

Minato was a little irked in finding ten pounds of glitter stowed away in Menma's lunchbox. The only reason he found it after having already packed his son's lunch was because he forgot to add the diced fruits he usually adds. Giving a stern lecture to Menma, he just hoped that his son wouldn't cause as much ruckus as he did last year. Today was the first day of the new school year and he didn't want to repeat the large amounts of paperwork associated with managing his son's pranks. If only Narumi was older, he could send her with Menma to keep an eye on him. Minato's workload decreased significantly over the summer because he had her to keep an eye on her troublemaking brother. Still, Minato was very proud of his son for the progress in the ninja arts. He and Sasuke were in the top of the class and had almost identical scores. Minato was glad that their brotherly rivalry was keeping them from slacking in their studies. He couldn't really take credit for Menma's grades because he never had the time to teach him because all that paperwork and meetings kept him tied down. It was mostly Kakashi and Yuna helping Menma with his shuriken practice and the Academy taijutsu. Since Minato wasn't there for him, he couldn't really complain what direction what everybody else was taking Menma's training. However, Minato still was a bit angry when he found out that Jiraiya, as a reward for Menma's high scores during the first year, taught him the Shadow Clone Jutsu. He wasn't really mad about Menma abusing the jutsu for his pranks, it was that the jutsu is forbidden because it's dangerous; it splits up the user's chakra and cause chakra exhaustion if someone isn't mature enough to understand their limits. Even when Jiraiya explained to him Menma's Uzumaki heritage and jinchuuriki status ensure that chakra exhaustion is likely never to happen, Menma still didn't think Menma ready for the responsibility of having such a jutsu. Since then, Minato has tried harder to train his son and get to know him. Without learning the Shunshin and other chakra-speed techniques, he couldn't really teach Menma the Namikaze taijutsu style so Minato instead helped Menma develop his own taijutsu style using Shadow Clones and the principles of the more general Academy style. Minato was amazed when he saw the power of Menma's taijutsu: the sheer number of clones he could create added with Menma's own unpredictability make it a force to be reckoned with. Only his second year in the Academy, Menma could probably give even a Chunin a hard time. As Menma left to go to the Hyuuga estate to pick up Hinata and walk to the Academy with her, Minato couldn't be more proud.

"Will you look at that. The brat's actually developing a nice romance with the Hyuuga heir. Lucky bastard. Anybody and their grandfather can tell that she's gonna develop nicely, what with the curves she has at such a young age" Jiraiya complained.

"If you don't want to be accused of being a pedophile along with a pervert, you shouldn't make those kind of comments, Jiraiya-sensei" Minato lectured.

"Oh, don't be such a stick. You know I'm into women with more developed assets. But their budding romance is going to make for some interesting research soon" laughed Jiraiya.

"If I find my son in one your perverted books, sensei, I'm going to Hiraishin you to an old shinobi's home where there aren't any young women for hundreds of miles" warned Minato.

"You would never be so cruel to your beloved sensei" Jiraiya said confidently.

"You know I've killed hundreds of Iwa shinobi in seconds. Locking my misbehaving sensei in a nursing home would be easier in comparison" Minato cautioned.

Growing pale, Jiraiya said "point taken." "Changing the subject, do you really think it's a good idea to send Naruto to the Academy. He's at least high Chunin to low Jounin level right now" Jiraiya reminded him.

Minato felt his heart grow pained at the thought of his red-haired son. "I know that. But I want him to start to break out of his Root training and make bonds with kids his age. I don't know what we were thinking when we sent him to the Orphanage and then to Root" Minato said dejectedly.

"Don't be so down. All the evidence pointed to him being the Kyuubi. We still don't know how, Naruto, at the age of five, had practically adult-level intelligence and well-developed and harsh ideas about human nature" explained Jiraiya.

"Don't try to justify it" Minato practically yelled. "We should have only done that to him if we had irrefutable proof of him being the Kyuubi" Minato said heatedly.

"Look, don't beat me or yourself up about it. We all made that decision together. And do I have to remind you that Inoichi died trying to get into Naruto's head when he was only a baby. Besides if we had irrefutable proof he was the Kyuubi we would have had to execute him. We had the strong, circumstantial evidence to go buy and now we all have to live with those decisions" Jiraiya explained.

"I know that, sensei, it's just I don't know when I can tell him that I'm his father. I mean do I just go up to him and say, 'hey, I'm your father, the beloved Fourth, and I left you because I thought you were the Kyuubi'" a disheartened Minato complained.

"Don't worry about it too much. You should wait to introduce yourself after he's made some bonds with the kids his age. In the meantime, Kakashi and I will introduce ourselves to him. I already told Menma that Naruto's jinchuriki shouldn't affect how he sees him. Don't worry, we'll get him back" Jiraiya said confidently.

"I hope you're right, sensei" Minato said to himself as Jiraiya was leaving, "I hope you're right."

As Naruto made his way to the Academy, he ignored the angry and disgusted glares he was receiving from most the civilians and shinobi alike. This is something he almost forgot about during his stint in Root . However, after an entire week of experiencing it, he was slowly becoming desensitized. Soon, he told himself, he would have their lives in the palm of his hand.

"What are these plans you keep thinking aloud" Kurama asked annoyed. "If you want to kill them all for their insolence, I wouldn't disagree" he added.

"Do you think so low of me you believe I'm driven only by thoughts of hate and revenge" asked Naruto amusedly.

"Being driven by anger and hate isn't so bad, kit. Besides, if my family left me to stand alone against an entire village that utterly despises me, I would certainly kill them all" Kurama noted.

"Yeah, well I'm not a being made of chakra and hate. I have much more nefarious plans for them in mind when I take control of this village from the shadows" explained Naruto.

"Sigh, if only you could think more like me and squash Konoha for trapping me three separate times" Kurama said wearily.

"You know what thoughts of revenge and hate cost Fugaku. What it cost you. I don't plan to follow that path" Naruto said. The Kyuubi didn't reply and instead went back to sleep.

Opening the doors to the Academy, Naruto made his way through the halls to Classroom A-1. He was kind of surprised that his father put him into the foremost class of Konoha: the class full of the next generation of clan heads. He didn't know what game his father is playing at, but he would take full advantage of the situation. Connections to the clan heirs would certainly help his own plans. Reaching for the door to the correct classroom, Naruto knew he was a few minutes late. But he came late on purpose. He wanted to the whole class to be there when the instructors make him introduce himself. He was especially excited the reactions of all the students when they realize that he would be their classmate for the next three years. His jinchuuriki status is widely known throughout the village and wasn't kept a secret even from the younger generation. Opening the doors to the room, Naruto was greeted with shocked gasps and utter silence. While Naruto waited for the instructors to introduce him, he scanned the room for the reactions of the clan heirs. He noticed the Aburame heir shaking slightly, the Akimichi heir nervously eating quickly, and the civilian students, Yamanaka, Kurama, and Hyuuga heiresses looking at him fearfully. He had the admire the Inuzuka and Uchiha heirs, who were looking at him confidently, if a bit edgy. Interestingly, the Nara heir was looking at him tiredly, as if bored. 'He is not normal' he said to himself, 'I'll have to watch out for him later.' Finally, he noticed his brother who was looking at him normally as if he was just another student. 'Another interesting case' he said to himself.

Once the instructors got out of their nervous daze, they finally addressed the class. "Everyone, we will be having a new student" the instructor with a deep scar on his face and ponytail said.

He then added, "why don't you introduce yourself to the class."

"Hello, I'm Naruto" he said as emotionlessly as he could.

Naruto's impassive tone seemed to put the instructors even more on edge. "O-Okay. W-Well I'm Iruka Umino. You can call me Iruka-sensei" said the scarred instructor with a ponytail while elbowing the other instructor.

"R-Right. I'm Mizuki Taimoto. Call me Mizuki-sensei" he said the instructor with light blue hair.

"Alright, Naruto. Why don't you take a seat and we can start today's lesson" Iruka said.

Naruto sat on the back corner near the windows, much to the relief of the majority of the class.

"Look at those humans, cowering in fear" said Kurama.

"They are interesting, aren't they" Naruto said. "I wonder which one of them will be good pawns to use in the game I plan to play" he added.

"You plan to use these human toddlers as pawns. Unless you plan to sacrifice them, they won't be worth much" Kurama said.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Regardless, I'll be studying their interests, fears, likes, dislikes, and goals from now on. Once I know what makes them tick, I'll be able to decide which ones can be useful" Naruto said, eying the heirs like a predator eyes his prey. "Today, I'm not going to be able to do that because everyone is still afraid and shocked that I'm in their class. I'll never be able to observe their interactions. So I'll have to make them feel a little bit more at ease" he added.

"What do you mean" asked Kurama.

"I'm going to nap in class everyday. Pretty soon, they'll grow more and more comfortable in my presence" he said as he laid his head down on his desk to rest. None of the instructors asked him to wake him.

Later That Day

Naruto was pretty pleased with how his first day at the Academy went. Although, he was a little irked that the entire class seemed fear him like the plague, it was what he had come to expect. Still, at least his sleeping in class helped put the class at ease. As he made his way to the Konoha Archive Library, he thought about what he wanted to research. He would of course have to start studying the sealing arts. Kurama was growing impatient and he did promise him a way to get out of the seal. Personally, Naruto wouldn't mind losing the Kyuubi. Having the Kyuubi sealed inside of him provided all the downsides of being a jinchuuriki (restricted movements, constant supervision, deep loathing) without any of the benefits (near limitless chakra). Then again, he does enjoy having someone to talk to. Too bad Kurama is almost never awake and is only conscious when he wants to make snide remarks. 'I also need to check out anything they have on chakra manipulation and chakra control' he thought to himself.

When Naruto reached the Library, he was a little taken aback by the size of the building. At six-stories tall, it towered over most buildings in Konoha. Its ornate, blue and white design also made it stand out from other buildings. At the top of the front of the building was a large bust of the Nidaime Hokage, famed for his legendary knowledge in the sealing, genjutsu, and other obscure ninja arts. He was also an avid reader and researcher, producing many of the high-level jutsu and kenjutsu that Konoha has, including the Hiraishin. Even though it was the Yondaime who perfected that jutsu, the Nidaime created the overline outline.

Entering the building, Naruto walked over to the Registration desk where two Chunin sat in a desk with paper strewn all around them. He knew they weren't there to actually protect the Library, more likely they were just there to carry out administrative roles. Very likely there were multiple ANBU teams hiding the background to make sure no one made out with any high-level techniques or village secrets. When the Chunin saw him, they were immediately taken aback by the entrance of the village's jinchuuriki. Once they seemed to regain their bearings, Naruto handed them his Academy ID. They handed him a Level One Pass and told him he would get his ID back when he returned the Pass as he was leaving.

Walking around the Library, Naruto was disappointed in the amount of material available to Academy students. They probably thought they would keep anything useful away from them because their not registered ninja yet. Still, in the chakra control section, he could only find scrolls for the most basic exercises like tree climbing. Naruto left the Library, checking out only the beginner scrolls for sealing, he left the Library frustrated. He would have to plan an operation to steal scrolls from the Jounin section and he knew it would not be an easy endeavor considering the ANBU teams that are likely swarming the place. 'Ah, if only things could be easy' he thought to himself as he made his way back to his apartment to plan out this operation.

One Week Later

Naruto was growing restless as his training wasn't getting far. 'I have most of the details of my infiltration of the Archive Library almost completed' he kept telling himself. However, he couldn't complete this mission anytime soon because he still had to go to Rice and stabilize the country's power structure. Ever since he killed the Royal Family, the country hasn't experienced political stability as different groups vied for power. The reports he was getting from his foxes didn't paint a pretty picture. Naruto created three Shadow Clones and charged one of them with enough chakra to last three weeks even though he planned to be gone for only a week. He had the other two Perfect Henge themselves into insects to alert him if his Shadow Clone ever got in trouble or if there is any other thing that's newsworthy. Naruto then Perfect Henged himself into an ant and crawled out of the apartment and into an abandoned alley. There, he changed his transformation to a cat, a pervasive stray animal in Konoha. He the left through one of the many paths he saw other stray animals enter and leave the village.

Once Naruto reached Rice's Capital, he was disappointed to see that the place was worse off than his foxes indicated in their reports. The economy was in an even worse shape than before the successful rebellion. The political instability in the country likely created panic in the markets, destabilizing the already poor economy, Naruto thought to himself. He also saw that many of the ninja appointed to police the population were actively taking bribes and roughing up the citizens they were meant to protect. Then again, Naruto really couldn't blame them; even though they were ninjas, they likely didn't get paid enough to provide for their families. Then there was Arashi's government, which couldn't get much done because of all the constant in-fighting and quarrels. Arashi himself also didn't have much credibility because even though he was one of the few Jounin-level ninja in Rice and leader of the Fuuma Clan, he didn't do anything really spectacular during the rebellion. Lastly, any laws that Arashi's administration managed to pass were mostly ignored by the populace since his government still kept Konoha's one-sided treaties in place. Naruto really had to fix things quickly or the whole country could fall apart.

Walking into the former palace of of the Royal Family of Rice, Naruto made his way to Arashi's office and promptly walked in, noticing that Arashi was head deep in paperwork.

"I see you've had your work cut out for you, Arashi-san" Naruto said.

Looking up from his paperwork, Arashi immediately noticed Naruto and went wide-eyed.

"Red Fox-sama! I-I wasn't expecting you or I would have prepared a proper greeting" Arashi apologized.

"There's no need. I want you to call a council of the most important people in the village politically. I will be addressing them all tonight personally" Naruto instructed. Hearing a "Hai", Naruto continued "I also want you to bring other particularly strong or capable people, be they ninja or civilian, and seat them separately from the people who are politically important."

"That will be all" Naruto concluded as he left Arashi's office.

That Night

Naruto walked into the so called Deliberation Room of the Palace that was previously used by the Damiao's advisors when they were making new laws or signing treaties. Now it is being used as a Council Chamber by Rice's new ruling clique. When everyone saw Naruto walk in with his long, flowing red hair and his fox companion by his side, the entire Chamber became deathly quit. Then one Council member began clapping and soon the whole room erupted into wild clapping and shouts of "Red Fox-sama! Red Fox-sama!" This precise reaction was the reason he brought Suzuki with him. These people really needed some inspiration to take them out of their depression and defeatist attitudes. Taking his seat at the head of the table, he thought about the explosive revelation he was going to say next. 'What these people really need is pride and motivation to better their lives. What they really need to know is that they are worth it. That Rice is worth fighting for' he thought to himself.

Once the clapping and shouts died down, Naruto said "Thank you all for coming in such short notice. As you know, Rice has not had it great under the Damiao, but it hasn't fared any better after it was liberated."

"That's because of Konoha" one person shouted. "Death to the Leaf" another shouted as murmurs of similar sentiments traveled around the room.

"Yes, that is true. However, it's not just Konoha's fault. Right now Rice is weak and divided. It cannot function independently. That's why I came here tonight to declare the country of Rice dead" Naruto said loudly.

Shocked gasps and disbelieving stares met Naruto when he finished saying those words.

Pulling a headband with the symbol of a single musical note etched into it, Naruto said "With Rice's death, I declare our rebirth. We shall now be known as Otogakure, the Village Hidden in the Sound."

Once everyone digested the gravity of what this meant, shocked gasps turned into cheers and chorused shouts of "Oto! Oto! Oto!"

Indicating with his hands for the shouting to die down, Naruto continued "No longer will be a puppet to Konoha's whims. No longer will we be thought of as just another part of Fire Country. We will now be a proper ninja village. We will be known around the world as Otogakure in the Land of Sound." At that declaration, Naruto heard more cheers and shouts of joy.

Once the shouting died down again, Naruto said "Each of the Five Great Villages specializes in one of the elements. It is what they are known for. It is what they take pride in. However, we will not be specializing in elemental jutsu. We will be specializing in genjutsu. I will be bringing in experts to teach many of our ninja powerful sound-based genjutsu that will make our enemies completely vulnerable. I know if we work hard we will become the most powerful ninja village in the world. And with our power, we will make Konoha pay."

Instantly, Naruto's declaration was met with deafening chorus of applause. "But before that can happen, we have to stop fighting and work together to make laws that benefit everybody, not just ourselves. We have to think of the good of the village before anything else, even ourselves. I will do what I can including bringing in competent instructors to teach our ninja, large amount of funding to build the village, and bringing businesses and connections to pull our people out of poverty. But I can't build our village by myself. I need you to work equally hard in making our village a success" Naruto said.

Hearing loud shouts of agreement, Naruto continued "Then as the Shodaime Otokage, I implore you to follow the 'Spirit of Sound': to never give up, no matter what; to rise from the ground, when everyone believes you finished." Naruto was really touched the day he came to Rice and noticed that the people there, even though poor and destitute, fought on to survive. He thought it would be good to turn this level of determination into the Village Creed, kind of like Konoha's 'Will of Fire'. Hopefully, it would further unite the country.

Hearing a general clamour of agreement, he said "I will be staying in the village for the next few days to hash out our government structure, stabilize the economy, and bring reform to essential services like the Academy, the Ninja Police Force, and Village Hospital. I hope each of you will work just as hard." As Naruto left the Chambers, he ended with "May The Spirit of Sound Ring Loudly… Always." Walking outside with only the moon and stars to illuminate the village, Naruto could still hear that line being repeated inside the palace.

"You really have a way with words, Naruto. You turned that crowd around and injected new life into them" Suzuki said.

"Believe me, it wasn't easy. I spent countless hours studying human nature and what makes them tick. I found that I just needed to inspire them and give them something to fight for" Naruto said.

"Still, that's really impressive. Do you plan to have us foxes teach them our sound genjutsu?" asked Suzuki.

"Yes, I already planned it with the Watanabi. You guys will Perfect Henge yourselves into humans and teach all Oto ninjas with enough chakra control genjutsu" said Naruto.

"I see, you really have all this planned out. I can't wait to see what you'll do next" said Suzuki excitedly.

One Week Later

As Naruto made his way back to Konoha, he knew he was going to be in for quite the headache once he dispelled his Shadow Clone and gained a week's worth of memories. However, he was really pleased with his trip to Rice, now Oto. The country was under better political leadership as Naruto hand picked all the members of Oto's new Council. He had also made sure everyone understood that Arashi's word is law and publicly executed the few people that couldn't put the village above their own interests. He also had Arashi's new government forcefully take over the economy. Naruto knew that the markets were too shaky right now to be left on their own. Maybe he could put it back in private hands once it became stable enough? Shaking his head as he discreetly made his way into his apartment as an insect, he could think about that later. Once he entered his apartment, he had his Shadow Clone dispel as he felt a blinding headache hit him. He instantly lost his footing as he hit the floor and lost consciousness from the sheer amount of pain. When Naruto awoke, hours later, he made a note to never do that again. However, he was relieved to know that his classmates at the Academy have begun to get used to his presence about him and are starting to act themselves. He couldn't wait to observe their interactions.

The Next Morning

As Naruto made his way to the Academy, he walked past the Toad Sannin using binoculars to peep at the girls in the hot springs in Naruto's direction.

"Ah, kid you made me miss the best part" complained Jiraiya.

Naruto wondered what the Toad Sannin was really up to. It couldn't be a coincidence that he shows up along the same path Naruto was taking to get to the Academy.

"You know watching girls bathe without their permission is considered sexual harassment under the Konoha Revised Code" Naruto said.

"Oh, come on kid, don't be so serious. I was only taking a peek" Jiraiya tried to explain.

"Since I'm not a ninja, I can't exactly report this report this. Besides, I doubt anyone would press serious charges against a Sannin. If that is all, good day to you, Jiraiya-san" Naruto said.

"Oh come on, lighten up kid. If you want, I can train you. I heard you're into Sealing. Well, I'm one of Konoha's best sealmasters" Jiraiya laughed. Truth is, he was kind of kind of unnerved seeing his godson so emotionless. 'Root must have really did a number on him' he said to himself sadly. When he heard that Naruto checked out Academy-level books in sealing, he knew this would be his best way to get to him.

Naruto thought about Jiraiya's offer. What could the Toad Sannin be up to? And why would he teach the jinchuuriki, the village pariah. Ah, I understand now, my father must be worried that my loyalties lie with Danzo and not him, the Hokage. Well, let's see, learning from Jiraiya, one of the world's best sealmasters, would be beneficial. However, taking him on as a sensei would not be good for his privacy. If he had Jiraiya bugging him all the time, he would never be able to leave for Oto or complete his plans for Konoha. No, the downsides in this case are worse than the benefits. But it would be suspicious to turn down Jiraiya's offer. I mean, who turns down training from the Toad Sannin? Ah, I know. Only an emotionless Root operative loyal to Danzo. If he could get Jiraiya to think he was only loyal to Danzo, it would get him off his back, at least for a while. They would wait until he 'formed bond' before approaching him like this again. 'In their little power plays, what they don't realize is that I'm loyal to neither the Hokage nor Danzo' Naruto said to himself.

"Although I would be honored to learn from you, Jiraiya-san, I have already learned much from Danzo-sama" Naruto said as emotionlessly as he could.

Jiraiya was becoming increasingly worried. What did he mean, he learned much from Danzo? Did he learn the sealing arts from Danzo. If that were the case, then why would he check out Academy-level sealing books. Jiraiya also didn't miss that he called Danzo 'sama' while only calling him 'san'. Is his loyalties still with Danzo? He had to make sure.

"How do you feel about being out of Root?" Jiraiya asked.

"Danzo-sama taught me everything I know. I hope I served him well and can be of use to him in the future" Naruto said stoically.

Now Jiraiya was really worried. "What do you mean serve him in the future. As a registered ninja, you can only take orders from the Hokage."

'Yes, this is right where I want him' thought Naruto. "Of course, Jiraiya-san. But I hope I can help Danzo-sama in his future endeavors" Naruto said impassively.

"Well, if you change your mind about training, you can always find me near the hot springs if I'm in the village" Jiraiya said nervously as he left. He had to report this to Minato.

Once Naruto entered the Academy classroom, he a bit disappointed to see he wasn't the first one there. For the past week, his Shadow Clone had been coming to the class early and falling asleep to get the class used to his presence. Right now, the Uchiha and Inuzuka heirs were already seated. The Uchiha, Sasuke was it, was confident as ever. As the son of Fugaku and brother of Itachi, Naruto made a note to never underestimate him. The Inuzuka it seemed was still a bit nervous, but was looking pretty confident himself. Sitting at the back corner near the window as always, Naruto crossed his arms around his head to make it seem like he is sleeping. He then quietly observed the rest of the class enter.

The next to enter were a civilian girl and the Yamanaka heiress. The civilian girl had long, flowing light pink hair and wore a red dress that went down to knees while the Yamanaka heiress had light, blonde hair tied as a pony tail and wore a similar, but purple dress. "Out of the way, Ino-pig, I was here first" the pink-haired civilian declared. "In your dreams, Sakura-forehead. I got to the classroom first" Ino retorted. They then began fighting over who would sit in the only seat available next to Sasuke. Naruto noted the vast majority of the girls in the Academy, not just this class, were infatuated with that brooding Uchiha. While most girls also had a crush on the always-energetic and kind Menma, their obsession with the Sasuke bordered on obsession, an obsession that only grew when it was revealed that Sasuke's father, Fugaku, and twenty other Military Police members died defending the village from unknown enemy units. Since most of the Uchiha clan didn't trust Itachi, being a Root operative, Sasuke was immediately declared the Uchiha heir and the next Uchiha Clan Head. Since then, his popularity only grew and most girls saw him as their Dark Prince who only needed a girl to warm his cold heart. From listening to conversations, Naruto also noted that Sasuke only became more aloof and distant since then.

The next to enter were the overweight Akimichi heir who seemed to be dragging the skinny Nara heir into the classroom. Once they sat together, they started a conversation. "What do you think we'll do today, Shikamaru?" asked the Akimichi heir as he opened a bag of chips. "Does it really matter, Choji? Either way it's going to be troublesome" said Shikamaru lazily. Naruto noted that they certainly make an interesting pair.

The Aburame heir, wearing the long overcoat of his clan was the next person to enter and took the seat next to Shikamaru. Always quiet, he didn't say anything and instead just crossed his arms once he was seated.

The Kurama heiress was the next to enter. Naruto didn't miss that she only walked weakly and had prominent bangs under her eyes. She looked pale and sick, making Naruto wonder why she even came to class in the first place.

After her entered the instructors and the civilian students. Naruto researched these civilians and found that they came from powerful merchant families or at least politically connected. Their families' influence is the reason that they are able to be in the class with all the clan heirs.

The last to enter were Menma Uzumaki-Namikaze and behind him the nervous Hyuuga heiress. "Come on, Hinata, we're already late" Menma said to hesitant girl as he got her to sit down next to him. Naruto noted that she and Menma are always the last to enter since Menma walks all the way to the other side of the village to the Hyuuga Compound to walk her to class everyday.

"Now that everybody's here, let me give you a run-down of what we'll do today. First we'll have history lecture led by me, a quiz on chakra and the body, and then taijutsu practice outside led by Mizuki" Iruka said.

The history lecture essentially became a competition between Sakura and Ino as they tried to outdo each other in answering Iruka's questions and win Sasuke's affections. For the quiz, Naruto made sure to answer enough questions to get roughly the average score. However, what really interested is the taijutsu practice outside. He would finally be able to see the power of the clan heirs and decide who would make good pawns for him to use.

Mizuki explained that taijutsu practice today would consist of one-on-one matches between the students. Naruto was disappointed to see that the civilians used the Academy-style taijutsu and still made mistakes in their forms. The clan heirs, on the other hand, had their own taijutsu styles, but their stances were still weak and left many openings. While taijutsu wasn't Naruto's forte, he still made sure not to allow his opponents the ability to easily spot weaknesses in his stance. However, what Naruto didn't expect was to be paired with the Uchiha heir. 'If only I could show my true strength and show these Academy students what real strength is' he said to himself. But alas, if he were to win against the best student in the whole school, he would probably cause an uproar in the village. 'I have to reign down my pride' he said to himself as he became increasingly disgusted with the idea of losing a fight on purpose.

Mizuki was absolutely excited. He would be able to show that demon his place. Mizuki, at first, was a little fearful of the jinchuuriki, but as he started to see him as only an average Academy student with serious problems in his practical skills, he became increasingly infuriated. Who does he think he is sleeping in class everyday and then still scoring average on all his tests. It's like he's saying that what they were teaching didn't matter and he had everything figured out. But getting pummeled by the Sasuke would be good in putting that demon down a peg or two.

As everyone gathered around in a circle to watch the fight, Naruto entered and got into a slightly sloppy Academy-style stance. As Sasuke entered the ring and got into his own Interceptor-style stance, Naruto heard most of the class cheering the Dark Prince on. Sasuke ran to Naruto and attempted to punch in the mouth while keeping another hand back for defense. As Naruto dodged Sasuke's punches, he was a little disappointed that his clan would teach this style to someone who hasn't activated the Sharingan because it relied on being able to predict your opponent's moves ahead of time. If someone without this dojutsu uses it, he would be leaving glaring holes in his entire defense. Regardless, Naruto knew he had to lose the fight so he finally let Sasuke hit him on the stomach. Pretending to feel pain, Naruto got on his knees, allowing Sasuke to give the finishing blow to cheek. Once Sasuke was declared the winner and the resulting cheers died down, Naruto got up from the ground, dusted his clothing, and went back into the circle to observe the remaining fight. It was between the Hyuuga heiress, Hinata, and the civilian from the powerful Haruno merchant family, Sakura. He saw Sakura get into a haphazard Academy-style and Hinata hesitantly get into the Gentle Fist style. Sakura immediately ran toward Hinata and tried to punch her in the face by swinging her arm widely, a move that left obvious openings for anybody to see. However, instead hitting back, Hinata only blocked the attack, allowing Sakura to use her other arm to punch Hinata in the chest. As Hinata staggered back, Sakura kept sluggishly hitting her, eventually pushing her to the ground. With Hinata on the ground, Sakura was declared the winner. "See that, Sasuke, I'm beat her. True love wins again" declared Sakura as she stared affectionately at her dark prince. Sasuke only managed a detached "Hmph" as he glared at Hinata, seeing her weakness.

"I don't see how you can use any of these children as underlings. They're all pathetic and weak" Kurama said.

"So you're finally awake. Where were you for the past week" Naruto asked

"You know I can't go anywhere with this damnable seal. I was asleep. But you still didn't answer the question" Kurama continued.

"They are indeed what you say they are, but did you notice the Hyuuga heiress" Naruto asked.

"Yes, she's the weakest of them all" Kurama said indignantly.

"Where you see weakness, I see untapped potential" Naruto said.

"To reach any potential, you would need to train her endlessly. I just don't think it's worth the time" Kurama said.

"You underestimate the benefits of having the Byakugan, you did say it is descendent from the Gods" Naruto answered.

"I said I may have remembered it from my shattered memories of the Juubi, but I doubt it's that powerful considering their only one clan among many in the village" Kurama answered.

"That's only because they haven't fully figured out all the benefits of having Hyuuga blood. I will turn her into a Goddess among mortals" Naruto proclaimed.

"Yeah… good luck with that. Besides, even if you do make her so powerful, how would you even control her" Kurama asked.

"Oh, that will be easier than you think. I just need to find what makes her think and what she wants more than anything else in this world. Then she will be putty in my hands" Naruto answered.

As Naruto left the Academy, he thought today would be a good day to infiltrate the Konoha Archive Library. "Kurama, since you're awake, I'm going to infiltrate the Library to get some books on sealing and chakra" Naruto said.

"Why do need my help. You already learned everything about covert operations from Watanabi" asked a tired Kurama.

"Sorry, but I need you to be awake during the operation. My sensor abilities are weak, at best, and any mistakes today are going to be deadly" Naruto said.

"Fine" Kurama said. "Just make it quick" he added.

Naruto entered the Konoha Archive Library Perfect Henged into the Library Manager, a green-haired clan-less, married Jounin. To enact this plan wasn't as easy as Naruto thought. He had to first intoxicate his civilian wife after she was coming home from partying with her friends. Then he led the drunken civilian to bar where a Chunin he promised a good time to was waiting patiently. When the Library Manager and his friends entered their favorite bar that night, he was angry, embarrassed, distraught and a number of other emotions all at once. After the Chunin received enough of a beating, Naruto had certain papers fall out of the man's wife's purse. In there, were foraged marriage plans, licenses, payments, etc. that all indicated that she was leaving him and marrying the man he was currently beating to a pulp. Believing his entire marriage to be lie, the Jounin drunk himself until he passed out. Suffice is to say, he would not be coming to work today, allowing Naruto to play him for the day. But since he doesn't have any of his memories, he needed Kurama to sense anyone getting near that the Jounin might have known. The plan went without a hinch, although he had to continually avoid one of the Chunin the guy knew that was worried about the man's marriage. 'Since this went so well, I might fix the guy's marriage somehow' Naruto thought to himself. This whole situation though did teach Naruto something: a ninja should never marry a civilian. The plan would have been a lot harder if his wife had been a ninja. But Naruto couldn't wait to begin studying the scrolls he now had from the Jounin section of the Archive Library. He was particularly excited about the high-level chakra control exercises that were found in the scrolls as well as the scrolls about the sealing arts. 'Soon, I'll would be getting stronger. A lot stronger stronger' he said to himself as he made his way to the apartment.

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Thanks all of you who reviewed. A lot of people have been asking about Kushina and she will be part of the story just later on. She'll be important to the plot, especially when I get to Orochimaru, who will be one of the villains in the story. Naruto will only be god-like by close to the end of the story. His powers will grow realistically. As always, comment and review.**


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